


The Whispers of Fate

by yixingisaunicorn



Category: VIXX
Genre: 'inspired' okay, Alternate Universe- Soulmates, Anxiety, Hakyeon has a potty mouth, Jaehwan Is a Good Bro, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Red and blue strings of fate, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vixx LR - Freeform, Whisper MV inspired, blushing ravi is my fav, if you think you might be triggered then pls be careful or don't read it, jk everyone has a potty mouth, kenjumma appears, not exactly like the mv but i tried, possible smut in the future????, shy Leo, still haven't decided yet, tagging these so that you guys know to look out, until then its full on fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-01-31 00:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12664680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yixingisaunicorn/pseuds/yixingisaunicorn
Summary: Before Wonshik could beat himself up any further, the barista called out his name and order. Relieved, yet a bit-disappointed to already be leaving, he made to stand up and walk, only to stumble as he felt his foot being pulled back. He heard a soft gasp behind him.Surprised, he glanced back at the guy before looking down to see that they were tied together. As inliterallytied together. A blue string was attached to his shoe, the piece of what looked like yarn spanning around two feet in length before connecting with a red strand that was also attached to the other's shoe. He gaped at the knotted strings, his mind having a difficult time processing what he was seeing, before he looked up to stare at the man before him.(Or in which Ravi never imagined life could get anymore interesting than being hired at his dream job. He was proven wrong.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh god, here we go. So I know the leo/ravi soulmate fic trend passed but I've had this thing sitting on my folder for weeks now and I'm finally satisfied enough with it to publish it. I actually have most of the story finished already, but I figured posting in chapters would be better than releasing the whole thing at once. Otherwise the fic wouldn't be finished and published by January lol. 
> 
> This is the first work i've ever posted on this site so please be nice to me and I hope y'all enjoy the story. *inserts praying emoji*
> 
> Without any more interruption, let us go onwards!

_Red, all he could see was red._

_It was everywhere; on him, around him, and a sudden killer panic overtook him, his vision blurring as he felt himself suffocate. The feeling surrounded him, overtaking his senses until it become mentally impossible for him to differentiate where he himself ended and the haunting red began._

Help! _He pleaded._ Someone help me! 

_A sudden faint whisper echoed through his ear and shook his entire being. Startled, he wildly looked around him until a slight prick of pain in his chest made him glance down, only to see the beginnings of a bright blue dot start to grow over his heart. The color was beautiful and majestic, a drastic contrast against his devilish red, and a sense of calm washed over him as he continued to stare at the swirling blue dot._

_Another whisper resonated inside his head and he glanced up again, only to see that bright red of his surroundings had been replaced by a purple hue. It was a bit murky looking, reminding him of an artist who had over estimated the quantity of how much paint was needed to blend and create a new color._

_He continued admiring his different environment, walking along the tunnel that had somehow willed itself to existence. Looking down, he noticed that the deeper he dwelled into the passage, the more his swirling blue orb continued to thrive._

_Red and blue…_

Red and blue mix to create purple! _He exclaimed._

_Almost as if planned, a flare of bright pain flashed through him and brought him down to his knees, leaving him clutching at his chest. The whispers, which he had only faintly heard before, unexpectedly rose in volume, leaving him no option but to release his chest and bring up his hands to try and shut out the violent sound._

_Squeezing his eyes shut, he cradled his head painfully and felt like his eardrums were going to burst. The feeling of a rope being wrapped around him tightly furthered his panic._

Stop it, please!

_At hearing his cry, the sound cut off violently until all he could hear was a single word being constantly repeated, the ringing of the silence making the words eerie._

Whisper, _the musically soft voice repeated quietly._

Whisper.  


*

The shrill sound of ringing was the first thing Wonshik consciously became aware off, prompting an automatic groan out of him. Bleary-eyed and half-awake, he reached out a hand to retrieve his phone and slid his finger across the screen, abruptly cutting off the alarm. Sighing in relief, he lay back down and covered his eyes, his other arm still lazily gripping onto his device. 

Lazy, warm sunlight was filtering in through his blinds, giving the room somewhat of an airy feel, especially when noticing the stark difference between the plain-white walls and the honey-colored wooden floor. 

A rapid pounding outside his door quickly disturbed the bliss silence of the apartment. 

“Yah, Kim Wonshik!” 

Wonshik let out another groan and dug his face deeper into the crook of his elbow, trying to will himself invincible as Jaehwan’s annoying knocks persisted. 

“Are you ignoring your hyung? After everything I’ve done for you, this how my precious baby boy betrays me?” Jaehwan shrieked.

Wonshik couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his hyung’s usual morning antics, uncovering his face and sitting up as he brought his phone up to check the time. Frowning at the numbers staring back at him, (7 am, really Jaehwan?) Wonshik let out one final groan before lifting himself off the mattress and walking towards the door. 

“Don’t you dare make me bring out Kenjjuma! You know it didn’t end up pretty for the both of us the last time-oh hey, Wonshik,” Jaehwan greeted.

Bleary eyed and annoyed, Wonshik slightly looked down at his hyung and unconsciously smirked. He would never admit it to anyone, lest he received a beating from Jaehwan, but the man couldn’t help but be prideful over the fact that he held three inches over his hyung, never mind the fact that technically both of them were still considered well above average when it came to height.

Jaehwan narrowed his eyes, looking at the slight smirk that was curving his roommates’ lips. 

“What are you looking so smug about?” he asked, growing more suspicious as Wonshik just looked at him and full out grinned. 

“Nothing, hyung.” 

Jaehwan continued looking at him through his narrowed eyes for a few seconds before letting the subject drop.

“Humph. Anyway, I came here to wake you up and remind you about your interview. You know, the one you haven’t shut up about this whole damn week,” the older boy mumbled, leaning against the doorway. 

The younger man blinked.

“You woke me up for this?” Wonshik yelled incredulously, his hand automatically coming up to choke Jaehwan’s neck playfully. His hyung only laughed and pried Wonshik’s fingers away. 

“Aigo, aigo, my kid is so cute!” he exclaimed, squishing the youngest cheeks softly. Wonshik grumbled before leaning away from the touch, trying but failing to hide the blush that appeared at hearing his hyung’s praise. Wonshik coughed.

“I’m going to try and go back to sleep since someone decided to wake me up basically at the ass crack of dawn on a Friday.” Wonshik emphasized before briefly turning around and closing the door on Jaehwan’s pouting face. 

And so hours passed, Wonshik managing to fall back asleep, blissfully unaware of Jaehwan’s boyfriend coming over for breakfast and almost burning down the entirety of the kitchen and the apartment complex. Finally, an hour and a half before his scheduled interview, Wonshik emerged from his bedroom dressed and ready Jaehwan and Sanghyuk were laying down on the couch, watching one of Jaehwan’s favorite dramas, when they both spotted him. Sanghyuk burst out laughing at the sight of him. 

“Hyung, what the hell are you even wearing?” He asked, trying and failing to hide his laughter behind his hands. 

Wonshik frowned, looking down at himself before raising an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”

“Nothing, just didn’t know blue plaid and suspenders were the current fashion trend,” Sanghyuk giggled. 

“And those glasses!” Jaehwan continued. “If I wasn’t already taken I would be jumping on that ass!” The couple burst out laughing, the drama all but forgotten at their new source of entertainment. 

“Thanks for the comments, it’s not as if my self-esteem was feeling secure or anything,” Wonshik sarcastically retorted, huffing and going to the kitchen bar to grab his keys and wallet.

“Ah Hyung,” he whined cutely, “You know we’re just messing with you.” Jaehwan agreed, leaving his spot on the couch to go and hug the youngest, a smile on his face. 

“We’re just joking, you actually do look really good, and I’m sure you’re going to go kill that interview and get the job.” 

Wonshik leaned into the comfort of his hyung’s embrace, appreciating the words of encouragement. He held on for another moment, touching his nose to the base of Jaehwan’s neck before leaning back with a confused look.

“Why do you smell like smoke?” 

Jaehwan only sent him a devilish grin before kissing his forehead with a loud, wet smack and reaching behind to slap his ass. 

“Go kill ‘em babe!” 

Wonshik pushed him away and yelled out a quick bye before leaving the apartment, ignoring the blush flushing his cheeks as his roommate’s laugh followed him all the way down the hall. 

“I need a new fucking roommate,” he grunted, rubbing at his burning rear. 

*

The subway ride was uneventful if one considered almost falling into the lap of an old lady uneventful, and Wonshik safely arrived to the interview with plenty of time to spare. Entering the designated building, he went up a couple of stairs until he arrived at the correct floor. Opening the glass door, Wonshik was met with the smile of a young, friendly woman behind a desk.

“Hello, welcome to the Youth Broadcasting Studio, how may I help you?”

“Hello,” he greeted warmly, “My name is Kim Wonshik and I’m here for an interview with the studio’s producers.” 

The secretary, whose name tag read Min Eun-ji, typed and glanced at her computer a couple of times before looking back at him with a smile.

“Ah yes, Mr. Kim, please take a seat. The producers will be with you shortly,” She replied with a small smile. Bowing and thanking her, Wonshik headed over to sit down in one of the many empty chairs that occupied the waiting room. His foot unconsciously started tapping the floor, his nerves shaking him.

For the last couple of months, Wonshik had been trying to get a job in one of his favorite broadcasting channels, a radio show run by a couple of university graduates who wished to share their passion for music towards the public. They had a surprisingly good following, for such a young and unofficial radio show, and a good friend of his who knew some people there had been kind enough to recommend him to one of the leading producers of the show. Taemin must have really exaggerated his skills as a producer and kissed his ass, for only a couple days later Wonshik was shocked when he received a call from the show asking if he was interested in scheduling an interview with them. 

Okay Wonshik, you got this. He thought, breathing deeply. You’re a talented young man who has the skills needed, and nothing can deter you from getting this job-

“Kim Wonshik?” 

Said man looked up to see the secretary from earlier standing in the doorway of the waiting area he had been directed to. He cleared his throat and nodded, before realizing she was waiting for a response. 

“Uh, yes?” he croaked out embarrassingly.

“The producers will see you now.” She smiled, signaling the rooms behind her with her hand. 

Looks like the rest was up to him.

*

As soon as he exited the building and was a safe distance away, Jaehwan was the first person Wonshik phoned. His hands, shaking from emotion, gripped his phone tightly as he waited for his hyung to pick up. Finally, the call went through. His knuckles cracked. 

“Wonshik? I thought you were supposed to be in your interview-”

“Hyung! I- I got the fucking job.” 

“…What?”

“I got the job!” Wonshik exclaimed.

There was a brief pause. 

“You got the- OH MY FUCKING GOD!” Jaehwan screamed, causing Wonshik to laugh loudly. He ignored the weird looks other people threw at him as his body vibrated from the excitement and disbelief.

“BABE,” the oldest screeched through the phone. “WONSHIK GOT THE JOB!” 

“OH MY GOD!” Sanghyuk screamed in the background. 

“Wait, wait- so it went okay? What did they say?” Grinning, Wonshik was quick to fill him in on all the details, describing how much the producers had enjoyed the couple of songs he had shown them, some of which he has been working on constantly for the last couple of weeks. 

“They also complimented my voice and said I might be able to host some shows in the future! If things go well, of course.” 

“Yah, that’s amazing! I’m so proud and happy for you Wonshik, I really am.” Wonshik felt himself tear up at Jaehwan’s words. Although it was usual for the both of them to support each other and be there for one another, it was in times like these that Wonshik appreciated having someone like Jaehwan in his life. 

“I-Thank you, hyung.” He whispered, smiling tearfully. 

“Yah, don’t cry if I’m not there to hug you. You’re going to make me cry.” The older complained cutely.

Wonshik sniffed, trying to control himself. “So… celebration night?”

Jaehwan laughed. “Do you even have to ask?”

Wonshik grinned.

And so it was that plans were made between the roommates, Sanghyuk having been invited as well despite having disrespected Wonshik’s fashion choices earlier, leaving the three young men excited for the night to come. They all still weren’t clear as to where exactly they were going but knew for a fact that they would end up somewhere by the end of the night. 

Wonshik couldn’t stop smiling as he held onto the hand bar, having boarded a bus to go get Sanghyuk’s favorite coffee and treats from a nearby coffee shop in their neighborhood. Only because he was in such good mood had he given in to the maknae’s pleads, for it seemed that getting hired in your dream job could make anyone willing to comply to things they usually didn’t. Even the harsh jolting of the bus couldn’t destroy his mood, a bubble of pure giddiness surrounding him. He, Kim Wonshik, was finally starting down the path he knew was the right one, the one he was made for. 

Grinning, he pressed the button beside him, signaling he was getting off on the next stop. 

Nothing could possibly ruin his day. Nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

After wandering the streets probably looking like an idiot, Wonshik was finally able to find the coffee place (that actually turned out to be a coffee truck). He ordered the maknae's requested iced coffee’s, macaroons, and banana bread, and payed. Having been told the wait would be no more than 20 minutes due to their coffee machine experiencing some mechanical problems, he decided to sit down in one of the tables scattered around the truck. Looking around, Wonshik found himself admiring how cute the place was. 

_No wonder this is Hyukkie’s favorite place. It’s just as cute as him,_ He thought amusingly. 

A couple of feet away, a young man carrying two bags approached and sat down in the leather sofa to the left of him. From the corner of his eyes, Wonshik briefly noticed the flower pattern of the bags as the man just sat there quietly, gazing around their surroundings.

He had dark black hair; the color deeply standing out against his pale skin and the bright red sweater he was wearing. Most of his hair hid his face, almost as if done purposely, preventing Wonshik from getting a good look at him.

Wonshik adjusted his glasses and continued to observe him, intrigued. 

The guy quietly placed one of his bags on the wooden table in front of him and opened it, only to reveal that the bag was actually a vinyl record player case. Raising an eyebrow, Wonshik watched as he reached over into his duffle bag and pulled out a rather odd-looking record, delicately placing it in the vinyl before positioning the needle onto it. 

The sound of piano chords slowly filled the air, and the background noise of the block and the café seemed to fade into nothing. The composer inside him quickly was quick to spot the sadness the chords tried to portray; the melody strangely reminded him of the man in front of him. 

As if having heard him, the man suddenly looked up and met his eyes. Wonshik’s heart stuttered. 

_He’s beautiful._

Realizing that he had been caught staring, Wonshik blushed and quickly turned away. He looked down at his phone and tried to play it off as nothing, all while he could feel the stare from the other burning a hole through his head. _Great, now the guy thinks you’re a creep._

Before Wonshik could beat himself up any further, the barista called out his order. Relieved, yet a bit disappointed to already be leaving, he made to stand up and walk, only to stumble as he felt his foot being pulled back. He heard a soft gasp behind him.

Surprised, he glanced back at the guy before looking down to see that they were tied together. As in literally tied together. A blue string was attached to his shoe, the piece of what looked like yarn spanning around two feet in length before connecting with a red strand that was also attached to the other's shoe. Gaped at the knotted strings, his mind having a difficult time processing what he was seeing before he looked up to stare at the man before him. Their eyes met, and Wonshik saw the shock and fear he himself was feeling reflected back.

“Wonshik, your order is ready.” The barista called out once again. 

A slow panic began building inside his mind. “I-uh, my coffee…” he trailed off. The guy continued staring at him, his feline-like features making Wonshik nervous as seconds ticked by and he received no answer. The man blinked a couple of times before looking down and gripping the cuffs of his sweater tightly, dark hair falling down to shield his eyes. He nodded once. 

Wonshik wanted to say something but noticed the man’s grip on his sweater tightened, his pale skin turning even whiter. He closed his mouth and stared at the guy for a few seconds before slowly walking towards the truck’s window. Silent footsteps followed him. 

Hoping the smile he gave the barista didn’t look as forced as he thought it was he managed a low thanks before turning and walking back to where he had previously been sitting. He set the bag down and pressed both of his hands down against the wooden table, leaning against them so hard that his knuckles cracked. 

“What the fuck… ” He clenched his eyes closed as he tried to process what the fuck was happening to him. He glanced down again, hoping the blue string had been some sort of figment of his imagination but alas; the string was just as real and just as attached to him. As if triggered by the visual confirmation, Wonshik all of a sudden felt it got harder to breathe, a pressure against his chest increasing the longer he stared at the strings. 

He slammed his hands down hard on the table, hoping the pain would distract him enough to shake off panic, but the lack of air in his lungs was numbing his senses and making it hard for him to focus on anything other than his anxiety.

 _I’m going to a fucking panic attack._ Pressing the palm of his hands hard against his eyes, Wonshik tried to gasp in the air and calm his nerves. Just as he was about to take out his phone and call Jaehwan for help, he felt a hand reach out and hesitantly grab his shoulder, the grip gentle but firm.

Startled at the unexpected contact, Wonshik held his breath before turning to see the other guy looking at him, the face expressing concern. Glancing from the hand to his face, Wonshik took a deep breath and hung his head, quick to remind himself that he was not alone in whatever the hell was happening. The thought helped calm him down a little, and the pressure he’d previously felt on his chest slowly disappeared. 

“Are you okay?” A soft voice asked him. 

“Just give me a few minutes,” He responded. 

Wonshik breathlessly laughed, trying to get his breathing back to normal as he looked at the guy who had miraculously managed to anchor him before his panic had increased. It took years for both Jaehwan and Sanghyuk to learn how to bring him down from his attacks, very rarely stopping them before they took over. This stranger had somehow done in a matter of seconds, despite the fact this was their first meeting. 

The guy bit his lip and looked down again, his hand still gripping Wonshik’s shoulder while the other clutched at the sleeve of his sweater. Though the situation was entirely inappropriate for his line of thought, Wonshik couldn’t help but notice how adorable he looked with his sweater paws. 

_Okay, now is really not the time to check the guy out._

A few seconds of silence enveloped the two before he decided to break it, feeling he had calmed down enough to finally acknowledge the other. 

“Sorry.”

The other frowned. “Why are you apologizing for something that is not your fault?”

Wonshik blinked before fumbling with his words.

“Oh, I- I actually don’t know,” he laughed awkwardly. “Guess I’m just used to apologizing for everything…thank you, by the way! You didn’t have to help me...” He gestured towards the hand. 

The other stiffened, realizing he was still holding on to Wonshik’s shoulder, before quickly letting go and blushing a bright red. 

“It was nothing…but you’re welcome.” he muttered, gazing down while his fingers played with the cuff of his sweater. 

An awkward silence engulfed him before Wonshik spoke again. 

“I’m Kim Wonshik, by the way.” 

“Jung Taekwoon.” The man said, biting his lip and nodding in greeting. It seemed the only thing Wonshik could do was stare at the man in front of him, for he was completely captivated by the others looks and voice. The dark haired man blushed at noticing the other’s gaze and ducked his head down even further, his blush deepening. Wonshik shook his head and quickly apologized again, clearing his throat. Wonshik was about to open his mouth (probably to say something embarrassing as wow, you’re really pretty) but the loud ring of a cell phone interrupted him. Wonshik’ hands fumbled through his pockets before finding his phone and answering the call. 

“Hello-”

“HYUNG, WHERE IS MY COFFEE?” Sanghyuk’s shrill voice whined, destroying Wonshik’s eardrums in the process. Cursing loudly, he yanked the phone away and jerked his head back. 

“Aish-Sanghyuk! What have I told you about screaming into the phone!” He yelled right back, trying to soothe his ear by rubbing it slowly. 

“Sorry hyung,” the youngest muttered, not really sounding as if he meant it. “It’s just that you were supposed to already be here and Jaehwan told me to call you to see what was taking so long,” He explained. 

Surprised, Wonshik checked the time only to realize it was already close to being 5 pm. He had last talked to them around three o'clock, shortly before he had arrived at the bus stop near Insa-dong. 

Taekwoon shuffled his feet, wrapping his hands around his waist. Wonshik looked at him as he continued speaking with Hyuk. 

“I have your stuff with me already so don’t worry. Something just…. came up...” He trailed off. There was a pause before Sanghyuk responded.

“’Something... came up’?” 

Taekwoon glanced up, sensing he was probably that 'something' Wonshik was referring to. Wonshik cleared his throat and nodded before remembering the other couldn’t see him. 

“Uh, yeah. Something came up.” 

“… Hyung, are you in trouble?” 

“No! No, I am not! Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

Sanghyuk let out a soft sound of relief. “Phew, okay, that’s good! But if you’re not then what ‘came up’ then?” He asked, confused.

“Oh! I, uh, met someone.” He thoughtlessly responded, before realizing his mistake. _Oh no, what have I done?_

Sanghyuk’s tone quickly took on a knowing tone.

“Oooo hyung, you sly wolf!” He teased. Wonshik groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. He had really done it now. 

“Why didn’t you just say that in beginning? I would have understood you were busy,” He implied, the smirk obvious in his voice.

“Hey, is she pretty though? How old is she? Where did you guys meet? Oh my god! Is it in the café truck? You should bring her out tonight with us!” 

Wonshik frowned, not knowing whether to answer Hyuk’s questions or not. Although everyone tended to think he was straight, Wonshik had never explicitly confirmed his or her assumptions. He usually tended to go out with girls, on the rare occasion he actually decided to date, so he could see why his friends thought he was only interested in them. Deciding it was better to ignore such questions for now, Wonshik abruptly changed the subject.

“Listen Hyuk, I’ll call you back when I’m on my way home, okay? I really am busy right now with something.” 

“Oh, okay,” Sanghyuk said, caught off-guard. “We’re still going out tonight though, right?” 

Wonshik glanced down at the strings before hesitantly confirming.

“Yeah, I’ll be at the apartment in like an hour. See you then.” 

“Okay, bye-bye hyung.” 

Wonshik hummed in acknowledgment before hanging up and putting his phone away. He looked up sheepishly.

“Sorry about that. Sanghyuk is very particular when it comes to his food.” He said, gesturing at the bag of treats and the iced coffees, which probably tasted like 50 percent water by now. 

Taekwoon shook his head. “It’s fine.” He muttered softly. A silence descended upon them. 

“So,” Wonshik slowly trailed on, “Are we going to talk about the obvious elephant in the room or are going to continue to ignore it? 

Taekwoon fidgeted nervously, glancing down at his string. 

Wonshik chuckled. “You don’t really talk much, huh?” 

The other shyly hid behind his hair.

“It’s okay, people are always saying I speak too much so you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” 

Taekwoon blushed, muttering something under his breath. 

“What? Sorry, I didn’t catch that.” 

“You have a nice voice.” The quiet man spoke, hugging his waist tightly, embarrassed at having actually admitted that out loud. Wonshik blinked a couple of times before turning red at the compliment. 

“Oh, thank you,” he said bashfully, adjusting his glasses again in order to ignore how flustered those five words had made him. 

“I think your voice is very nice as well.” He admitted. Taekwoon thanked him quietly; Wonshik unaware of how much he silently preened at the compliment. 

“Not to break the moment or anything but do you think we’re gonna be stuck like this forever? Can we even walk separately?” He questioned, getting back to their... problem after a few moments of silence. Wonshik received a slight shrug in response. 

“We have nothing to lose… right? Let’s give it a try.”

Wonshik explained that he that would try to walk away while Taekwoon stood there; trying to see how much space they could have between them. Having received a nod of confirmation, Wonshik took a deep breath and exhaled. Here goes nothing.

Slowly, he started taking small cautious steps away from the other and prayed he wouldn’t be pulled back harshly. Eyes closed, he continued walking until he felt he had walked far enough and hadn’t been yanked back. Opening his eyes, Wonshik turned around and saw Taekwoon standing in the exact spot he had left him. He glanced down at the strings, noticing that his had expanded to accommodate the distance. He walked back and noted that the string’s length shorted to the original size when he reached Taekwoon. 

“Well, the good news is that you’re not literally stuck with me for the rest for your life. Still doesn’t explain why this is happening, or even what ‘this’ is though…”

The other’s lips quirked upward as if amused by his comments, but a small glint of disappointment in his eyes seemed to reveal he was genuinely saddened by thought. Noticing this, Wonshik hesitated for a split second before taking out his phone and holding out.

“Here, give me your number.” Surprised, Taekwoon met Wonshik’s gaze. “Why?” his eyes seemed to silently ask. Wonshik bashfully shrugged, unsure as to why he had done that as well. 

_Liar,_ his brain accused him. _You perfectly know why you did that._

Taekwoon stared at his phone for a few seconds before slightly smiling and nodding. His fingers brushed against Wonshik’s as he took the phone from the other’s grip. He quickly typed in his information and saved it before handing the device back. 

“Here you go.” 

“Thank you,” Wonshik responded, smiling softly while looking down at his phone. A sudden thought had him frowning before looking at Taekwoon. 

“Um, I know this is so late of me to ask but, how old are you?”

A small laugh escaped Taekwoon’s lips. _Man, even his laugh is beautiful. So unfair._ He thought, astonished. 

“I’m 26 years old.” He responded, still slightly smiling.

“Well Taekwoon-hyung, please take good care of me in the future.” Wonshik bowed respectfully before straightening and sending Taekwoon a bright smile. The other blushed and peered down at the ground, nodding. He get’s embarrassed quickly. It’s so cute. 

“Where were you heading before this whole thing happened?” Wonshik asked him, remembering the two bags he had been carrying.

“I’m meeting a friend a few blocks down...” Taekwoon responded. Wonshik mindlessly nodded before freezing.

“I didn't make you late, did I? ” he panicked. 

Taekwoon shook his head and quickly reassured him. “No! You’re fine. I told him to meet here instead.”

Wonshik sighed in relief and laughed awkwardly. “Ah, that’s good. Sorry, I tend to over-react about small things.” 

“It’s okay,” Taekwoon softly responded. 

“Daeguni!” 

_Daeguni?_

At the loud shout, Taekwoon turned around and Wonshik observed as a man with tan skin walked from the end of the block and approached them, waving his arm rapidly. Taekwoon sighed, but a fond smile tugged at his lips as he looked at what Wonshik guessed was the friend he had mentioned earlier. 

As the other guy got near them, he finally seemed to notice Wonshik. Narrowing his eyes, he jogged up to them. 

“Yah, Jung Taekwoon! I’ve been looking for you for ages!” the other loudly greeted, throwing his arm around his friend and bringing him closer to his chest. 

Taekwoon frowned, annoyed at being manhandled, but didn’t fight the grip. A quiet air of resignation surrounded him. The older man turned and faced Wonshik, seizing him up with eyes that were still narrowed in suspicion. Wonshik found himself anxious under the man’s rather threatening gaze.

“Taekwoon, who’s this? He’s not bothering you, is he?” The guy asked while keeping his sharp eyes trained on Wonshik. Taekwoon rolled his eyes and pinched his friend, annoyed with his attitude. 

“Hakyeon, this is Kim Wonshik.” 

Hakyeon huffed unconvinced. Taekwoon glared at his friend. 

“Stop being rude and introduce yourself.” 

Meanwhile, Wonshik watched the interaction between the two with what could only be described as amazement. Where moments ago Taekwoon had been a shy and mumbling man, here he was, frowning and glaring in annoyance at his friend. _As if I wasn’t intrigued before, I definitely am now._

“Cha Hakyeon, 27 years old. How do you do.” Taekwoon scoffed, pushing the man away and freeing himself from his grip. 

“What?” Hakyeon whined, pouting in annoyance. 

Wonshik got the sneaking suspicion that this Hakyeon guy and Jaehwan would get along too well, judging by the drama-queen personality he could already detect.

“Fine,” he reluctantly agreed. “I’m Cha Hakyeon, Taekwoon’s best friend. Nice to meet you.” Hakyeon introduced himself nonchalantly. Wonshik bowed in greeting, introducing himself as well.

“Kim Wonshik, nice to meet you.” From the corner of his eyes, he caught the smile Taekwoon sent him, prompting him to return one as well. Hakyeon raised an eyebrow and looked between the two of them suspiciously. 

_I’m surprised he hasn’t said anything about the strings,_ he thought. Wonshik meant to look down quickly but did a double take, letting out a gasp of surprise. The strings had completely disappeared, not a single trace of them visible to his eyes. Taekwoon, noticing his expression, glanced down as well and widened his eyes, stunned, and shocked. Puzzled, Hakyeon tried to see what they were gazing at but came up empty-handed.

“What, what’s wrong?” He asked. 

Wonshik gulped and shared a glance with Taekwoon.

“Nothing, sorry. I thought I saw something.”

 _Yeah, something that’s not fucking there anymore!_ He thought alarmingly. Hakyeon hummed suspiciously again while looking at Wonshik before turning back to Taekwoon. 

“Well, it was fun meeting you and everything, but Taekwoon and I need to get going. We have an important event to attend.” Hakyeon said, briskly making his way towards his friend’s luggage that had all but been forgotten and put away the vinyl player with a click of a lock. Lifting the bags with one hand, Hakyeon turned and tightly smiled at Wonshik before walking away.

Taekwoon rolled his eyes at his friend’s dramatic leave and turned to face Wonshik, back to his shy self. 

“Sorry, he’s usually very friendly.” Taekwoon muttered, playing with the cuff of his sweater. Wonshik smiled. 

“It’s okay. He actually reminded me a lot of my roommate, so I knew not to take him seriously.” 

Taekwoon chuckled, looking down at his hands. 

“Oh. It’s back.” 

Surprised, Wonshik looked down only to indeed see that their strings had appeared once again as if they had been there all along. Wonshik hummed thoughtfully. 

“Maybe they only appear once we’re alone?” He questioned, not really sure what all of this meant. He’ll have to do some research as soon as he got home.

“Taekwoon-ah! Let’s go!” Hakyeon yelled from the corner of the block. The quiet man bit his lips before glancing at Wonshik.

“I guess this is goodbye,” He stated quietly. 

“Yeah…I’ll text you, okay?”

Taekwoon smiled before nodding and walking away. When he reached the corner block, where Hakyeon was impatiently waiting, he turned around and shyly waved. Wonshik waved back, smiling as he glanced down and saw the red sting stretch the farther Taekwoon walked away.

“See you around, Jung Taekwoon.” He whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wontaek finally meet! I hope i did theit meeting justice, this chap was such a pain in the ass to write (>_<)> Writing Hakyeon's scene made it all better tho lol Gotta love his momma insticts. 
> 
> remember to leave comments and kudos! 
> 
> -mars


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Wonshik closed the door behind him, two wild animals attacked him.

“Kim Wonshik! Where the hell have you been?” Jaehwan’s shrill voice rang through the apartment, walking out of his bedroom with quick steps. Sanghyuk followed closely behind him.

“Yeah! Who takes three hours just to get coffees and treats?” Sanghyuk accused as he walked up to him and yanking said items from his hands. Wonshik sighed, pinching the nose of his bridge before acknowledging his friends.

“Sorry, something came up.” He slowly took off his shoes and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge to scout for something to eat. He was starving.

“Yeah, Sanghyuk briefly mentioned a girl or something.” Jaehwan said, following him and sitting down by the bar, observing his roommate.

“Did you get her number?” Hyuk asked, wiggling his eyebrows. He took a sip of his coffee but made a face at how watery it tasted.

“Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that.” Wonshik replied nonchalantly, frowning when he noticed how empty the inside of their fridge looked. They’ll need to go to the market for groceries soon. Jaehwan continued observing him, frowning.

“Nice.” Sanghyuk responded, opening his bag of treats and letting out a squeal of delight at seeing his banana bread. “Thanks, hyung!”

Wonshik only hummed in reply before deciding to eat the leftovers from yesterday. Closing the fridge, Wonshik looked up halted in place when he noticed the weird look Jaehwan was giving him.

“What?” He asked, frowning when he only received an incredulous look from his hyung. Sanghyuk glanced up and looked between Wonshik and his boyfriend.

“What?” The youngest repeated, confused. Jaehwan frowned before opening his mouth to speak.

“So let me get this straight: You call me all excited and near tears about your job, excited at the idea of going out and celebrating, only for you to come back a couple of hours later looking noticeably more toned down and calm, despite the fact that Sanghyuk said you were out with some girl on a date.”

Wonshik felt his ears heat up. “It wasn’t a date.” He muttered.

Jaehwan raised his eyebrow. “Oh, but there _was_ someone.” Wonshik scoffed and placed the leftovers inside the microwave, pressing ‘start’ before turning to look back at his friend.

“What does it matter if I was out with someone? And I’ve had a couple of hours to calm down about the whole job thing, it doesn’t mean I still don’t freak out when I remember I actually got it,” He said leaning against the counter.

“What about the girl?” Jaehwan continued.

‘What about it?”

The older gave him a skeptical look. “Wonshik, you don’t date! You’ve only had two girlfriends in the past five years!” Jaehwan exclaimed.

“Okay, but I said it wasn’t a date.” Wonshik repeated, confused as to why Jaehwan was making a huge deal out of it. Jaehwan stared at him a while longer before sighing.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Sanghyuk did say you sounded a bit weird in the call.”

Wonshik glanced at the youngest, only for him to raise his arms in defense. “What? You did.” He mumbled. Wonshik sighed.

“Listen, I’m only telling you this only because you asked,” Wonshik paused, looking at both of his friends before continuing. “I did meet someone, and no, it wasn’t a date,” Wonshik stated, cutting off the both of them before they could interrupt him.

“I was actually in the middle of calming down from almost having a panic attack when Sanghyuk called me. ”

They both looked at him worriedly.

“You almost had a panic attack? Why didn’t you call me? What triggered you?” Jaehwan asked, concerned.

“I- it was nothing, just me over-thinking and panicking over the smallest things. You know, the usual,” He lied, smiling sheepishly. The young men in front of him continued gazing at him with worry.

“Well, why didn’t you say anything? You know I would have helped you, hyung.” Sanghyuk replied, biting his lip worryingly. The oldest put his arm over his boyfriend’s shoulder and pulled him against him to provide comfort. Jaehwan frowned as if remembering something before looking over at his roommate.

“Wait you said you were with someone. Did that girl manage to calm you down then?” He asked, puzzled. Wonshik blushed, muttering under his breath.

“What?”

“It was a guy, okay!”

Silence settled between the three men, the couple gaping at Wonshik while said person tried to hide the embarrassment he felt at having essentially come out to his friends. The loud, sudden beeping of the microwave startled Wonshik and he quickly took out his reheated dinner and placed it on the counter. Wonshik chuckled, his back facing Jaehwan and Sanghyuk.

“Is it really that surprising?” he weakly asked, uncomfortable with the silence.

The screech of a chair being pushed back prompted him to turn around, and Wonshik could only blink before a pair of arms engulfed him.

“No, no.” Jaehwan reassured him. “It’s just I’m surprised, that’s all…why didn’t you say anything?”

Wonshik snorted against Jaehwan’s neck. “I just did.”

“You know what I mean.” The older chuckled, lightly hitting him.

“You guys just never outright asked, I guess. Besides, like you said, I’m shy around girls but at least I have experience with them…” He blushed.

Jaehwan leaned back and smirked.

“Man, if I had known you were available I would have chosen you instead of the giant nerd baby over there.” He teased, his fingers soothingly stroking the back Wonshik’ neck.

Sanghyuk sputtered. “Hey!”

“I’m just kidding babe, you know I love you,” he said, winking and blowing a kiss. Wonshik laughed, grateful at how Jaehwan and Sanghyuk could always manage to lighten up the atmosphere no matter the situation, and the anxiousness he felt went down. Sanghyuk was still pouting, a glint in his eyes promising death to a certain loud-mouthed individual, before letting out a startled gasp, as if he had remembered something important. He sat straight up on his seat and Wonshik imagined one of those light bulbs from cartoons blinking on at the top of his head.

“Wait, hyung! Does that mean you actually managed to get a cute guy’s number then?”

Wonshik immediately blushed and Sanghyuk squealed. Jaehwan gasped before neck-chopping him in the throat.

“Ow! Hyung!”

“Sorry, reflex!” Jaehwan exclaimed, rubbing his neck in apology. “But oh my god, Wonshik! You got you a guy’s number! Is he cute? Did he come up to you or did you? Where did you meet him? Was he the one helped you with your attack?” The oldest bombarded him with questions, gripping his shoulders in excitement. Wonshik stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully before answering.

“He is. Um, we both did? Coffee truck. Yes.” He answered, frowning as he tried to remember the order of the questions.

The boys could only squeal at his response, Jaehwan quickly dragging him away from the kitchen and into their living room, where he was promptly pushed down on to the couch. He glanced uneasily between the two; the wild grins on their faces letting him know he wouldn’t be leaving this couch until the couple was satisfied with his answers. Wonshik sighed, resigned.

“Okay, go on. Ask away.”

 _Famous last words_ , He thought.

*

Wonshik collapsed on his mattress an hour later, worn out from the day’s events and Jaehwan and Sanghyuk’s unending interrogation. As he had guessed earlier, Wonshik had been correct in assuming that the couple would not settle until he had recounted every single detail from his encounter with Taekwoon. They had both cooed cutely when he had described how shy and quiet the man seemed to be, embarrassingly admitting that he had found those particular characteristics of his adorable. Wonshik had also mentioned meeting Taekwoon’s friend, Hakyeon, and how protective he had come across. Jaehwan had narrowed his eyes at that, angrily muttering that if he ever came across a Cha Hakyeon he would give him a piece of his mind. It only helped to reaffirm Wonshik’s reasoning that Jaehwan and Hakyeon should never be allowed to meet, for surely the apocalypse would follow.

After having explained everything to the best of his ability, his hyung and dongsaeng had been satisfied enough and told him to get some rest, claiming that today had been one hell of a day from Wonshik and they could always go out another day. As he had bid them goodnight, Wonshik had only felt a slight feeling of guilt at having left out the main reason for his meeting with the other man. It wasn’t as if anyone would believe him, for claiming that a pair of strings had literally connected him to Taekwoon would leave everyone most likely concerned for his mental state and well being. No, it was better if no one was aware of whatever had happened to him and Taekwoon.

Sighing, he unlocked his phone and scrolled through his social media, the bright light the only thing illuminating his dark room. Mindlessly liking pictures from his feed, Wonshik froze as he remembered he had promised to text Taekwoon back. He quickly exited out of Instagram and opened up Kakao talk, smiling slightly as the notification box notified him he had been added by the user, _leo_jungtw_ , whom Wonshik could guess was Taekwoon. He clicked the add button beside the username and opened up a convo, biting his lip as he thought of what to say. Deciding that a simple “Hey,” would suffice, Wonshik typed and clicked the ‘send’ button before his nerves got the best him.

 _Should I add a smiley face or would that seem too weird?_ He thought worriedly. Just as he was debating if there was such a thing as being too friendly the message notification sound went off, startling him out of his thoughts.

The word “Hello,” greeted him as he opened the chat again, and Wonshik could just imagine the soft tone Taekwoon would use if they were actually speaking in person. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.

 **To: Jung Taekwoon**  
So how did your plans with your friend go? He seemed to be in a hurry...

 **From: Jung Taekwoon**  
‘(ーー;)’,

Wonshik burst out laughing before slapping a hand over his mouth, trying to muffle the sound in order to avoid Jaehwan’s nosy ass from coming in. Biting his hand in order to keep his grin from getting any bigger, Wonshik lay there and thought of how he would never have pinned the quiet man for an emoticon enthusiast. This guy just keeps getting cuter and cuter the more I get to know him.

 **To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Lmao, not well I’m guessing????

 **From: Jung Taekwoon**  
That’s how I always feel when I’m around Hakyeon.

But they were okay. We went to his boyfriend’s photography exhibition and now we’re getting something to eat… You?

 **To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Sounds cool! I was actually supposed to go out with some friends but we decided to stay in. Jaehwan’s probably gonna want to have a movie night or something now that I think about it…

Even with a closed door, Wonshik could clearly hear his hyung’s voice arguing with Sanghyuk’s as to which movie to pick: a romantic comedy versus an action-packed film. He could only hope the maknae won, for if he was forced to watch _13 Going on 30_ again he was going to grab a pillow and suffocate the oldest.

 **From: Jung Taekwoon**  
…Jaehwan?

 **To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Yeah, he and I live together. He wanted to go celebrate my new job but I was too tired.

A few minutes passed before his phone beeped. Wonshik frowned as he read the text.

 **From: Jung Taekwoon**  
Oh.

 **To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Something wrong??

Again, Taekwoon took a long time to reply. Wonshik scrolled back up through their messages, trying to see if he had said something wrong but came up blank. Just as he was about to repeat his question, he received a new text.

 **From: Jung Taekwoon**  
Sorry, I’m a little busy. Is it okay if we talk later?

He frowned, a bit stumped at the reply, seeing as they had been texting for more than 30 minutes now.

 **To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Oh, um yeah that’s cool. Just text me when you’re free then :)

Taekwoon read his text but did not reply back. Confused at the turn of events he let his phone blackout, engulfing his room in total darkness. Had he said something weird? He was so sure that their conversation had been going good and Wonshik had wanted to ask Taekwoon more about himself.

He lay there, lost in his thoughts until Jaehwan yelled out that the movie was about to start. Maybe he’ll bring it up with his roommate and ask for his opinion on the matter. He felt that a second opinion could maybe help him understand what had happened.

*

Taekwoon locked his phone, putting his phone in his back pocket before turning his attention back to the couple in front of him. Hakyeon has been ranting about something for the last couple of minutes, too caught up in his anger to notice how quiet Taekwoon had become.

“-Still can’t believe that fucking asshole had the audacity to try and flirt with you in front of me, like who the _fuck_ does he think he is? I was literally holding your hand the whole time!” Hakyeon exclaimed, angrily slamming his chopsticks against the wooden table. The other customers paid him no mind, too drunk or too loud to honestly care about the noise.

Besides him Hongbin nonchalantly hummed in agreement, more focused on cutting the meat with scissors than paying attention to his boyfriend. It seemed that over the months of their relationship, the youngest had learned it was better to just let the other go off until he got it out of system.

Taekwoon sighed, fiddling with a straw. _You just had to go and get a crush on a guy you barely met a few hours ago._ He berated himself.

Wonshik’s texts filtered through his mind, the name Jaehwan somehow managing to leave a poor taste in his mouth. From what Wonshik had described, he and Jaehwan have known each other for years now and even shared an apartment together. From what he had gathered, this guy was basically like a louder version of Hakyeon, and overall he sounded like a funny and nice guy.

And yet…

_“…We decided to stay in. Jaehwan’s probably gonna want to have a movie night or something…”_

 

We.

 

 

_We._

 

Unconsciously he crumpled the straw, his fingers tightening and clenching with… _something_ that resembled jealousy.

“-ekwoon? Hello?”

Hakyeon’s voice cut through his thoughts, startling him. He looked up to find the couple staring at him, Hakyeon’s hand hovering midair as if it had been waving to catch his attention. Hongbin had also stopped grilling the meat, an eyebrow raised in his direction. It seemed this hadn’t been the first time they had tried to get his attention.

Taekwoon released the straw and cleared his throat before speaking. “Yes?”

“Uh…” Hongbin trailed off, unsure how to go on. Hakyeon, however, seemed to have no qualms what so ever on addressing the fact that something was going on with his friend.

“I know you’re naturally quiet but you never completely zone out like that. What’s wrong?” He asked, a glint of concern shining in his eyes.

Taekwoon scoffed, leaning back against the metal chair to cross his arms. “Who says something’s wrong?”

He only received an unamused look in response, Hakyeon’s eyes shifting back and forth between the bent straw and his crossed arms, a habit he tended to do when feeling defensive. The oldest lifted an eyebrow as if to say, _need I go on?_

Taekwoon glared at him before he looking away in annoyance. Hakyeon smirked. Hongbin glanced between them before rolling his eyes. He had a hard time believing he was the youngest one out of them, especially when his Hyung’s behaved childishly.

“Really hyung, what’s wrong?”

Taekwoon glanced at Hongbin for a few seconds before sighing and uncrossing his arms to reach for his phone. He typed away and found the convo with Wonshik before hesitantly scooting the device towards Hongbin.

The couple blinked down at it, knowing how particular Taekwoon was when it came to anyone touching his things. Hakyeon quickly realized the opportunity being presented in front of him and snatched the phone, furiously scrolling through it. A few minutes later, a slow frown began forming on Hakyeon’s face as he read through the messages before looking up at Taekwoon.

“Is this that weirdo who was bothering you earlier?” He asked, pointing a finger at the texts. Taekwoon looked around to see if there was anything near him that he could throw.

“Weirdo?” Hongbin looked at Hakyeon confused.

“Yeah, this guy-”

“He isn’t–”

Hakyeon and Taekwoon spoke at the same time, interrupting one another. They both stopped and glared at each other, daring the other to finish their sentence.

“Hakyeon.”

“Taekwoon.”

Silence descended upon their table, the sounds of laughter and yelling noticeably louder as the two friends waged a silent war with their eyes. Taekwoon finally spoke, referring to Hongbin but maintaining his gaze firmly on Hakyeon, who smiled annoyingly.

“Earlier today I met this guy and, despite what your boyfriend here is saying, he wasn’t weird or bothering me at all.”

Hakyeon scoffed, leaning against Hongbin. “Please, that guy was radiating weird vibes the second I laid eyes on him.”

“I’m sure he thought the same of you.” Taekwoon retorted, causing Hongbin to snort amusingly.

“Ha. _Hilarious._ ” Hakyeon deadpanned. Taekwoon shrugged, a small smile on his lips.

“Whoa, wait. Taekwoon hyung was willingly talking to a stranger? All by himself?” Hongbin questioned incredulously, looking down at his boyfriend. Taekwoon felt his face warm up, flustered at Hongbin’s tone and the fact that they brought up his horrible social skills.

“You know, now that you say that, I think he was even sending the guy smiles and shit. He also waved goodbye when we left.” He said, humming contemplatively.

“One could even say it looked almost as if he was…” he trailed off. They both turned their heads to look at him. Taekwoon’s face reddened under their attention, causing Hakyeon to gasp loudly. He sat up straight on his seat.

“Oh my god! You were flirting!” He exclaimed, pointing at Taekwoon in disbelief. Hongbin stared at him in shock, eyes, and mouth wide.

“I-I wasn’t f-flirting, shut up!” Taekwoon faltered, his soft voice breaking due to his embarrassment. He looked up and covered his face with hands, his friends looking on in amazement as their minds tried to register the words “Taekwoon” and “flirting” together in a sentence.

Hakyeon broke out in incredulous laughter.

“Yah, Jung Daegun! Was that your first attempt at flirting?”

Taekwoon felt himself heat up behind his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg so many things happened here! with my bb wonshik coming out and receiving the supports from his friends, to wontaek's cute texting (& the slight angst that appeared towards the end oops) ... AND HONGBIN FINALLY APPEARED! the whole gang is finally in the story, woo! 
> 
> i actually had to watch so many vixx diary vids bc i really wanted hakyeon's and daegun's conversation to be as similar to their real life interactions lol i hope i did them justice
> 
> i know i didn't get to write hongbin as much but i swear i'll make up to yall by including meme!hongbin as much as possible in later chapters lol (i love how done his face always is, someone pls save him)
> 
> -mars


	4. Chapter 4

“No wonder you were so annoyed with me,” Hakyeon gasped out in between laughter, body bending. “Our little Daeguni wanted to leave a good first impression!” 

Hakyeon leaned back against his boyfriend’s shoulder in order to keep himself from falling over, wiping at the tears that had escaped from his amusement. Hongbin gazed down at the older with an unimpressed look, now that the shock/amazement had faded. So Taekwoon hyung was capable of flirting. Who would have guessed?

“Hm, you’re one to talk. I distinctly remember a certain someone almost crying after having spilled coffee all over my white shirt the first time we-”

Hakyeon pinched Hongbin’s arm hard, causing the younger to yelp in pain.

“You were saying, sweetie?” Hakyeon asked, lifting his head off his boyfriend’s shoulder to send him a dangerous smile. Hongbin narrowed his eyes before responding with a fake smile of his own, rubbing at the sore spot on his arm.

“Ah, sorry. An annoying flea bit me.”

Hakyeon’s eyes flashed (Did this jerk really just compare me to a fucking flea?) before turning to their flustered friend, who was still miserably hiding behind his hands. Reminding himself to kick Hongbin’s ass later, Hakyeon smiled before leaning over the table to pry Taekwoon’s hands off of his face.

“Okay, common. Daeguni's Blushy Time is over.”

Hongbin huffed amusingly. “And what, Tea time has commenced?” He retorted sarcastically. 

Hakyeon wiped a fake tear from his eyes, sniffing and placing a hand over his heart as if touched by Hongbin’s words. “I knew you got all those Kermit memes I sent you.” The younger rolled his eyes in response. 

Meanwhile, Taekwoon let himself be manhandled, too flustered and weak to fight off Hakyeon’s strong hands. He breathed deeply, wishing for his face to cool down, before finally looking up to meet his friends’ eyes. 

“So?” Hakyeon prompted, looking at him expectantly. Beside him Hongbin had his arms crossed, leaning back against his seat and looking as uninterested as one could possibly look when interrogating a friend about their love life. 

Taekwoon bit his lip, unsure as to what to say. Hakyeon sighed before smiling reassuringly. He knew how shy his friend could get when he wasn’t out to get him. 

“Hmmm,” he hummed thoughtfully, “How about you tell us about him? I want to know more about your little weirdo.” 

Taekwoon blushed, looking away. “He’s not my weirdo.” He muttered, embarrassed. God, he hoped his face didn’t convey how much he actually liked the idea of Wonshik being his. Which reminded him of…

Taekwoon looked down at the red string connecting him to Wonshik. It was still tied around his shoelaces, only a few inches of it visible before seemingly disappearing or becoming invisible. Yet even though his naked eye wasn’t able to see the rest of it, Taekwoon could still feel it was there. He could feel it connecting him to the other man. 

After he and Hakyeon had left Wonshik behind, the two men had gotten lunch and hung out at the Taekwoon’s favorite record store, before making their way over to Hongbin’s photography exhibition. Despite all of the people he had passed by or even briefly spoken with, no one had made any sort of acknowledgment towards the red string, leading him to confirm his earlier theory that only he and Wonshik were able to sense and see it. 

He couldn’t help but think back to his interaction with the man, his heart speeding up as he remembered how friendly yet shy the other had been. It had been so endearing to watch, especially when he continued to apologize for things obviously out of his control. 

“His name is Kim Wonshik. He’s younger than me; he loves music. He easily expresses himself and apologizes for things he can’t control.” Taekwoon says, smiling fondly. 

Hakyeon elbowed Hongbin multiple times before loudly whispering, “You see that smile? He never smiles like that, especially at me.” He pouted.

Hongbin rolled his eyes, pushing him away. “Aish, you’re so annoying hyung.” He muttered, not willing to admit that he too had noticed how… soft Taekwoon looked in general when speaking of this Wonshik guy. It was kind of adorable, as much as he hated to admit. Seeing his hyung so lively was a sight he rarely got to see when it didn’t involve singing. And to think the two had barely met today and Taekwoon was already this smitten. 

“Oh wow, he’s also into music? Is that what you guys were texting about?” Asked Hongbin. 

Taekwoon frowned before looking away, playing with the cuff of his sweater. “No. He was just talking about his roommate.” 

Hongbin scrutinized the man in front of him, face scrunching up in confusion. 

“Are you… sulking?” he asked disbelievingly.

“No.” Taekwoon fervently denied. The slight pout of his lips gave him away. Hakyeon raised an eyebrow. “Bullshit.” Taekwoon met his gaze, looking into his friend’s fierce gaze, before sighing. 

“Okay, maybe a little.” He admitted quietly. 

“Why? Isn’t it a good thing that you two are already texting?’ Hongbin asked.

Hakyeon hummed in agreement. “Yeah, why the long face then?” 

Taekwoon glared at the straw he had bent earlier, recalling his reaction as he imagined Jaehwan and Wonshik together. Going out to dinner together, hanging out together, sharing the apartment together. 

“Always fucking together…” he muttered angrily to himself, crossing his arms petulantly. Hongbin, who had been in the middle of swallowing a gulp of water, choked and sputtered, spraying the liquid all around them. Hakyeon pushed his boyfriend away from him in disgust, trying to brush the water that had landed all over his sleeves. It was a miracle they hadn’t been kicked out of the small restaurant, what with all the noise they had been making.

“Sounds like someone’s a little jealous,” Hakyeon sang amusedly, glancing up and smirking as he continued cleaning himself. Beside him, Hongbin was continued choking and coughing. He was ignored.

Taekwoon hummed in acknowledgment, leaning back against his chair. He didn’t bother denying Hakyeon’s statement this time. The man could read him like a book after all their years of friendship.

“So what? He’s taken?” Hakyeon finished drying his long sleeve as much as he could before bracing his arms on the table, leaning in. Taekwoon shrugged, frowning as looked at his phone, which had been placed beside Hakyeon. Thankfully, it had managed to avoid Hongbin’s disgusting spit.

Hakyeon followed his friend’s gaze and grinned wickedly. “Possible competition then.” He clarified. Taekwoon’s answering glare was enough to reveal how he felt on the matter. Hongbin finally managed to regain his breathing and took a sip of what was left of his water, trying to sooth the raw burning of his throat after all the coughing he had endured. He cleared his throat painfully before speaking up. 

“Do you know for sure though?” He croaked out, deciding it was better to join in the conversation rather than bring up why he had suddenly started choking at hearing his usually tempered hyung curse. 

A pale hand reached across the table to pick up the phone and turned it on to scroll through the messages. Taekwoon frowned as he scrolled through them once more before sighing and placing it down. Was it possible he was over-reacting? Taekwoon had always prided himself on keeping his emotions in check, only relaxing and feeling comfortable when surrounded by close friends. He had barely met Wonshik a few hours ago, yet something inside of him possessed him to act very strongly when threatened with the idea of the other man belonging to someone else. They were literally tied to each other, for fuck’s sake! That surely had to mean something… right?

Hakyeon observed his friend carefully before leaning over to place his hand over Taekwoon’s. 

“Look, I know I was giving you shit earlier about the guy but even I’m not _that_ blind. The dude was totally giving you heart eyes. I would know, seeing as I live with one. ” Hakyeon reassured him, gesturing to Hongbin. Taekwoon scrunched his eyebrows, confused. “You live with a heart?” 

Hakyeon sighed exasperatedly. “No dummy, a person in love.” Hongbin made a sound of agreement, his eyes fondly looking at the other. It was in moments like these where Taekwoon envied the relationship the two of them shared. He too wanted someone to joke around with and laugh with, to be so sure that the other loved him so much he didn’t have to doubt it, despite ‘play-fighting’ and what not. 

“Besides, he asked for your number right?” 

At Taekwoon’s slight nod, the younger grinned. “Hyung, he’s totally into you! No taken man would ask you for your number- okay so maybe some will because you are pretty.” Hongbin admitted, scratching his head as Taekwoon flushed. “But that’s not the point! From what I’ve heard and seen from these texts, this Wonshik guy really likes talking to you, so don’t skip ahead and assume things you don’t know for sure. Maybe you can bring it up later.” He trailed off, smiling encouragingly at the other. Taekwoon returned the smile.

“Besides, even if he is taken, this Jaehwan bitch got nothing on you!” Hakyeon added fiercely, slamming his fist down on the table again. “I’ll like to see him beat the amazingness that is your voice, body, and very being!” 

A few miles away, inside an apartment surrounded by tall buildings, a certain Lee Jaehwan sneezed unexpectedly. 

Sanghyuk looked up from his place on his boyfriend’s lap and stared at him in concern. Beside the man himself, Wonshik lifted his head of the other’s shoulder and did the same.

“You’re not getting sick are you?” Wonshik questioned. Jaehwan cutely sniffed and frowned before shaking his head. 

“No, that one just came out of nowhere. Sorry.” Wonshik hummed unconvinced before returning to the previous position he had been in. They continued watching _13 Going On 30._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING FRIDAY D;
> 
> l know it was thanksgiving break from most us but literally why is it that all my professors decided to assign a shit ton of homework???? I'm also in my last two week of classes before finals so apologize for the short chapter 
> 
> i'll be sure to make the next one even longer!
> 
> -mars


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, i can't believe it's been a month since my last update (_　_|||) I APOLOGIZE EVERYONE!
> 
> Honestly, after finals were over i relaxed and planned on getting some writing done but i reached a bit of a writing stump. Also, I was very affected by Jonghyun's death (rest in peace) and was depressed for days, not eating or leaving my bed for anything. It also did'n't help that i began doubting my writing skills....anyway I'm slowly getting better now, and this chapter helped distract me from my thoughts so i'm very grateful. 
> 
> Enough about my problems for now! I hope you enjoy this chapter !! x

Despite having gone to bed worried about Taekwoon, it seems as if all of the day’s stress had finally caught up with him and his body. Too exhausted to slip into his nightly routine of staying up late to overthink shit, Wonshik blacked out the second he slipped inside the comfort of his blankets.

The next morning he woke up and immediately checked his phone for any messages he may have received. Sadly there were none from Taekwoon. Sighing, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes before slipping out of bed and making his way to the kitchen. Unsurprised, Jaehwan was already awake, seated at the table and holding his favorite mug while scrolling through his phone. The older sent him a bright smile. 

“Good morning babe! There’s coffee and some leftover food from last night if you’re hungry.” 

He hummed in acknowledgment and opened the cabinet, taking out his favorite Marvel mug. Pouring the coffee, he debated as to whether he should heat up the leftovers now or wait until the hunger really kicked in. Seeing as he had basically stuffed himself last night from not having eaten all day yesterday, he still felt a bit full. Eating almost two full boxes of chicken would do that to you. 

Satisfied, for now, he finished preparing his cup and walked towards were Jaehwan was seated. Settling down, he took a sip of his coffee and sighed blissfully. Jaehwan huffed amusedly before going back to his phone, tasking a loud sip of his own mug. 

“You know, I’m surprised you’re actually awake right now.” His eyes did not leave his screen.

Wonshik looked at him over the brim of his mug, a questioning look in his face. “Hyung, contrary to popular belief I’m not as lazy as you seem to think.” Jaehwan rolled his eyes. 

“That’s not what I meant, stupid. I just thought you would have stayed up late over-thinking the whole _‘Oh no, Taekwoon hates me what do I do’_ thing,” He mimicked.

“I do not sound like that,” He complained, pouting his lips. Jaehwan finally looked at him and scoffed, clearly disagreeing, before pointedly giving him a look. Wonshik groaned before placing his mug down, leaning his crossed arms on the table. 

“Okay I’ll give you that one,” he admitted. “I was too exhausted to stay up and worry. I guess having nearly two panic attacks takes a lot out of you.” 

Jaehwan hummed. “And the mini-gay crisis too,” He murmured nonchalantly. Wonshik grinned lightly before agreeing. 

“Yes, and the mini-gay crisis too,” He repeated amused. 

“So he didn’t text you at all?” Wonshik sighed, looking down before shaking his head. His hands went towards his pocket- only to remember that he had left his phone back in his room, still charging. He placed his hands awkwardly on his thighs, rubbing them back and forth. 

“Yeah… do you think I should text him? I mean, should I apologize for what I did?” 

Jaehwan frowned, placing both his mug and phone down on the table. “But you don’t even know what you did wrong," he said. 

“Don’t you think it’s better for me to say sorry just in case though? I feel bad,” Wonshik admitted guilty, playing with his fingers. Jaehwan sighed before gazing at him fondly, wanting to ruffle his hair.

“Of course you do.” It was just in Wonshik’s nature to feel guilty over something despite not knowing what he had done wrong. That’s how much of a loving and softhearted person he was. 

Wonshik could see the older looking at him thoughtfully before emitting a long breath. 

“If you really feel like apologizing, then do that. As cliché as it sounds, do what feels right. You know Taekwoon," he said then gestured at himself. "I don't. So you’re better at getting a sense of his character and how he’ll respond to you,” Jaehwan stated, smiling lightly at him. 

Wonshik stared at him in wonder. It was moments like these where he realized how thoughtful and wise his hyung was, were as he normally acted like a cute gleeful kid. It was weird seeing this side of him, despite knowing it was there if that made sense. 

Wonshik grinned and stood up, feeling a surge to go and hug his hyung. Jaehwan, quickly noticing his intentions, lightly protested before he was being yanked up and embraced by the youngest arms. He made no move to pull away though, and returned the hug warmly.

“Don’t let this get to your head but you’re the best hyung ever,” Wonshik whispered before pulling away. Jaehwan leaned back and grinned. 

“Too late, I’m going to get that on a shirt and coffee mug.” He brought his hands up and flashed him small hearts. “I love you, Wonshik,” Jaehwan said, using his childish cute voice. 

Wonshik laughed, reaching to pat the neck of the other. “Cute,” He stated before going to the kitchen to heat up the leftovers, hunger kind of kicking in already. 

*  
After having served leftovers for the both of them, the roommates enjoyed a nice breakfast and joked around as usual. It was only later that Wonshik finally went into his room and grabbed his phone. He was surprised to find that it was barely ten a.m. _No wonder he thought it was weird to see me awake so early. I must have woken up around eight, which is pretty unusual for me._ He thought, scratching his head. 

Still standing beside his bed, Wonshik scrolled through his notifications with a rather bored look. There were the usual email spams he received, as well as a few Instagram notifications from his latest post. No new messages from anyone either, because he didn’t have friends. He was about to clear everything when something caught his eyes, prompting him to do a quick double-look. 

“User @leo_jungtw has requested to follow you…” he read out loud slowly. He stared at the words for a few seconds before finally processing what they entailed. His mouth opened in shock and disbelief.

“He followed me- Hyung! Hyung, come here!” Wonshik called out desperately towards the direction of his open doorway. He was met with silence before he yelled again, not having received a response. 

“Hyung, come quick!” Soft footsteps were heard before Jaehwan finally appeared with a disinterested look on his face, one of his slippers on hand. 

“Where’s the spider?” He sighed exasperatedly. 

Wonshik frowned in confusion before rapidly shaking his head. 

“What? No, no! Hyung, Taekwoon requested to follow me on Instagram!” He screeched in amazement. Jaehwan dropped his slipper and dashed right next to Wonshik. 

“He did _what_?” He yelled, reaching over to try and grip the other’s phone. Wonshik quickly moved it out of the way before shoving the screen right in front of his hyung’s incredulous eyes.

“He followed me!” He said all giddy, his finger pointing frantically at the notification. Jaehwan could only stare in disbelief, mouth slightly open. 

“I… I guess he did.” He stated bewildered. Wonshik looked at him and frowned, dropping his right hand down to his waist. 

“Yah, why do you sound so surprised? Did you actually think I had no chance of forgiveness?” He questioned with a slight pout on his lips. The elder shook himself out of his thoughts and lightly neck chopped him.

“Yah, who are you saying _‘yah’_ to!” Wonshik rolled his eyes and chuckled, bring his own hands to grip the others. 

“Aish, hyung we’re only a year apart. But really, what’s with the look?” 

Jaehwan caressed the youngest neck with his fingertips, lightly digging his nails into the skin before chuckling. 

“Who cares what I think. Aren’t you going to follow him back and accept?” he said, escaping Wonshik’s grip. The younger’s eyes widened before lifting his phone up. He tended to be forgetful, especially when lost in the excitement. 

“Oh, right!” 

He slid his finger to the right and watched as the app opened up to where people were requesting to follow him. He wasted no time approving Taekwoon’s request and made sure to follow him back. Unlike him, the other’s profile was open to the public and he wasted no time scrolling through the others pic. 

It’s only been a day but I forgot how pretty he is. Wonshik thought, blushing as he admired the selfies Taekwoon had posted. As he went in basically stalking the other, Wonshik noticed that Taekwoon enjoyed posting many photos of this adorable little boy. He didn’t know which one was cuter. 

“Let me see! I want to stalk him too!” Jaehwan whined, stomping his foot.

Wonshik was starting to assume he liked surrounding himself with cute people.

“Here, this is Taekwoon,” He said, handing the phone to the other. Jaehwan happily accepted it and gazed down at the man displayed in front of him. He was silent as he scrolled through photos, and Wonshik couldn’t help but get nervous. It wasn’t as if they were dating or anything, he had barely met the quiet man yesterday for god’s sake, but Wonshik could sense that Taekwoon was going to play a big part in his life. Also, just how many people walked around with stings literally connecting them, as if they were soul mates? The whole situation had to mean something. 

“So, what do you think?” he asked nervously, rubbing his hands up and down in his thighs. 

“Well, you have my approval. Didn’t think you had in you to attract such a guy,” Jaehwan said, looking up and flashing him a bright smile. He handed him back his phone and gave him a thumbs up. “Kim Wonshik, fighting!” 

“Why do I feel that was both a compliment and an insult?” Wonshik muttered, flustered at his hyung’s latter words. It was one thing for Wonshik to silently root for himself and hope he got Taekwoon to like him, for he could just play it off as wishful thinking. Having Jaehwan’s support made it seem as if all his delusions might not be as unreachable as he had previously thought. 

_Alright, let’s not get ahead of ourselves Kim Wonshik. You don’t even know if Taekwoon is single or even into guys._

“I hope you know that I plan to follow him back and have Sanghyuk do the same. It’s only fair he knows our friendship is a package.” Jaehwan stated matter-of-factly, slipping on his forgotten slipper and walking out of the room with a smug air around him. 

Wonshik groaned, falling back into his bed. He looked down at his phone still in his grip and couldn’t help but smile like a fool. Taekwoon had actually made the effort to search him up and follow him. That surely had to mean something. He thought back to their meeting yesterday, perfectly picturing how shy and quiet the other had been with him. It seemed out of character of him, but then he remembered how different he had acted with his friend Hakyeon. It was as if he had become a different person. It was fascinating to watch, and Wonshik wanted him to act like that towards him. 

With a determined look he pulled up his messages and clicked Taekwoon’s name, typing out a greeting. 

**To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Good morning hyung! 

He clicked send and waited with bated breath for a response. Miraculously enough, his phone vibrated with a message notification a few seconds later. Biting his lip in anticipation, he read the text. 

**From: Jung Taekwoon**  
Morning (｡･･｡)

“God, he’s so cute.” He whispered to himself. He paused, trying to think of what to text next. Should he still apologize? Or should he ignore the whole issue and continue forward? He sighed, knowing he will never get rid of the light guilt for having upset the other.

 **To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Hey, so I know I upset you yesterday and I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did but I hope you can forgive me…

There, now he can at least say he apologized and tried his best to remedy the situation. Minutes passed before the oldest responded. 

**From: Jung Taekwoon**  
You don’t need to apologize it was just me being stupid. I still appreciate it though..

Wonshik released a sigh of relief. He was just about to respond when he received another text. 

**From: Jung Taekwoon**  
If you take me out to eat I’ll completely forgive you 

The youngest could only stare in shock as he read Taekwoon’s words. Was he asking him out? Hell, was the older flirting with him? Was this his way of signaling he was interested? 

Gulping nervously, he responded. 

**To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Like a date????

 **From: Jung Taekwoon**  
i’m sorry can you can forget that text you don’t have to agree to anything 

**To: Jung Taekwoon**  
NO, no! UH I mean, it doesn’t have to be a date… but I wouldn’t mind hanging out with u

 **From: Jung Taekwoon**  
… really? 

**To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Yeah I really want to get to know you  
And we could discuss this whole string thing better too 

**From: Jung Taekwoon**  
… I want to get to know you too  
Are you free today? 

**To: Jung Taekwoon**  
Yeah, where do you want to meet? 

After setting a time and place to their not-date, Wonshik locked his screen and lay in his bed, staring up at his ceiling, stunned. 

“Oh my god…” he breathed, trying to process the last few minutes. He pinched his arm to check if he was dreaming, but the pain told him otherwise. He was actually going to go out and meet Taekwoon. He was going to talk to Taekwoon. 

He promptly sat up straight. 

“Oh my god!” he exclaimed, fisting a handful of hair. He glanced down and saw that he had a maximum of two of hours to get ready and meet the other. Hastily grabbing his phone, Wonshik jumped out of bed and made his way to the shower, stopping by the hallway cabinet to snatch a clean towel. He needed to start getting ready now if he had any hope to make it to the restaurant in time. Besides, he also wanted to look good and impress Taekwoon, as silly as it sounded. 

_God, I feel like a high school student with such a huge crush, he cringed._

As he got closer to the bathroom, he could hear Jaehwan’s loud singing. He groaned, loudly knocking on the door once he reached it. 

“Hyung! I need to take a shower!” He yelled, interrupting his roommate. 

“What? I can’t hear you!” Jaehwan’s shrill voice echoed over the sound of the water. 

Wonshik cursed before opening the door and entering the bathroom. It was normal for them to leave the door unlocked, in case one of them needed to relieve themselves or something. As soon as he entered he coughed at how suffocating the air around him felt. Leave it to Jaehwan to shower in the hottest setting available. 

“Hyung, I said I need to take a shower.” He raised his voice over the loud noise of the shower head. 

“I barely got it so if it’s urgent you’re free to join me!” His hyung called out cheerily. 

Wonshik was no stranger to showering with Jaehwan; especially back in their old college days where they could barely afford the water bill. Sharing a shower had become normal for them and they tended to do so every once in a while when someone was in a rush. 

Sighing, Wonshik agreed and began removing his clothes. “Fine, make room. And make the water normal temperature!” 

*  
An hour and a half later and Wonshik was ready to go. He stood in the small hallway before the front door, double-checking he had everything he needed. 

“Okay. Phone, check. Wallet and keys, check. Money, check. Alright, looks like I’m ready.” He muttered to himself. Satisfied, he quickly slipped on his shoes and made his way to the front door. 

“Jaehwan-hyung, I’m leaving! I’ll call you later!” 

“Okay, have fun on your date! Tell him I said hi!” He yelled back from his room. 

Wonshik grinned and closed the door behind him, quickly locking it before walking down the hallway and towards the elevator. Pressing the button, he checked his watch and found he had less than half an hour to make it in time for their arranged meeting. Thankfully, Taekwoon had chosen a place not that far from his apartment complex and he was sure he could walk there and make it in time. 

The elevator dinged, sliding open and he quickly entered, pushing the bottom floor and closing the doors. He tapped his foot nervously during the short ride, before remembering to take out his phone and text Taekwoon that he was on his way. The doors slid open and he put his phone back before exiting the lift and making his way outside. 

20 minutes later and Wonshik was slightly gasping as he arrived at the place. He leaned his hand against the wall of the restaurant and took a few deep breaths before righting himself and looking around to see if he could spot the older. 

He took out his phone and saw he had a message from Taekwoon, saying he was less than five minutes away. Wonshik typed out a quick okay and said he was already here before opening another app to entertain him as he waited. 

He mindlessly scrolled for a while before he heard someone clear their throat softly. Wonshik looked up and was greeted with Taekwoon’s shy smile, his eyes for once not hidden underneath his fringe.

“Hey,” The quiet man greeted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised that the next update will be sooner so please stay tuned. For Wonken's interactions in this chapter i actually watched that youtube compilation of ravi calling ken cute for like four minutes. ^.^ Its adorable, y'all should go check it out if you haven't! 
> 
> As always, i'm grateful for all your kudos and comments! They really motivated me to get this chapter written and posted as soon as possible. 
> 
> Happy New Years! x


	6. Chapter 6

“Hi,” Wonshik said breathlessly.

It felt almost surreal to be standing in front of Taekwoon again, the man’s looks and presence overwhelming him. Wonshik may be a songwriter, but he felt no strings of words could ever express how beautiful Taekwoon was. Even more so outside of his memories. 

_Alright Romeo, bring it back in. You weren’t this bad even back when you were crushing on Lee Soo Hye from tenth grade._

Wonshik coughed and looked away, hoping he hadn’t been caught staring like a fool. Thankfully, it seemed Taekwoon had been lost in his thoughts as well for he was gazing downward, chewing on his bottom lip. Wonshik altered his gaze before he could start having inappropriate thoughts. He didn’t need to go there. Not yet. 

As they stood there awkwardly, Wonshik couldn’t help but laugh. Taekwoon jumped at the sound, not having expected it, before gazing at him puzzled. 

“Sorry, I just can’t help but find it funny how we keep having weird silences every time we meet…Not that I’m saying you’re weird! You’re not! I just-” Wonshik sputtered helplessly. 

Taekwoon chuckled and glanced at him warmly, his piercing eyes stopping Wonshik’s heartbeat. 

“I get what you mean,” He softly answered, a smile on his lips. Wonshik blushed, fiddling with his ear, hoping that rubbing it would fade away the evidence from how flustered he was. 

“Let’s go in before anyone thinks we’re weird for standing in the mouth of an alleyway,” He said, gesturing towards the entrance of the restaurant. The oldest cracked a smile before nodding and making his way to the front. 

As soon as they walked in a young girl with a bright smile greeted them. They greeted back in return and asked for a table for two. Her eyes skittered between them for a second before she blushed and nodded quickly. She grabbed a set of menus and led them towards a table around the back. Wonshik looked around as they walked, surprised to see the place looking mildly full especially for it being an hour past noon. _Place must have killer food,_ He thought absently. 

They reached a cornered table and Wonshik unconsciously choose the outer seat, the one facing in towards the wall. It was only after he took off and placed his jean jacket in the back of the wooden seat that he slowly realized what he had done. 

It was customary for a man to take the outer seat when on a date as an act of chivalry. It allowed their date, specifically women, the privacy should they be wearing short skirts or dresses, while also protecting them from the wandering hands of perverts, should an occasion like that arise. 

Basically, he had just unconsciously assigned Taekwoon, his hyung, his crush, the female role. And let’s not even mention the fact that his inner-self thought this to be a date. 

Horrified, he glanced up and found Taekwoon seated across from him, wildly blushing and desperately trying to hide behind his long-pale hands. The hostess was trying to hide her squeals of excitement behind the menus. 

“I- Hyung. I didn’t-” he began, mortified. The girl quickly placed the menus down, interrupting him. “A waiter will be with you momentarily.” Shooting them a quick smile she then walked away, leaving the two men in silence. 

“Hyung,” Wonshik began, mortified of the situation he had put them in. He was interrupted once more, this time by Taekwoon himself, and he watched as the older brought down his hands to reveal his still-blushing face. He shook his head when he saw Wonshik’s mouth move, his gaze unable to meet the other’s eyes, and made a grab at the menu. He interestingly peered down at the paper, biting his lip in concentration. Wonshik could only stare with his mouth still half-opened, the apology stuck at the tip of his tongue. 

“I don’t want things to keep being weird between us,” Taekwoon muttered, gaze unwavering from the menu. His cheeks were painted a beautiful red. Wonshik closed his mouth and gulped before nodding. He took a menu and tried to read it, but this racing heart and thoughts made it difficult to concentrate on the words. Thankfully, a waiter chose the right time to intrude. 

After ordering a large jar of water for drinks, the waiter left and silence descended upon them. Sneakily taking his phone from his pocket, Wonshik opened his messages and found the contact of his platonic soul mate. 

**To: QT Hyung~**

!!!!!!!!

**From: QT Hyung~**

???????

**To: QT Hyung~**

How do i make awkward silences go away

 **From: QT Hyung~**

You talk stupid!!! Ask him his fav color or smthing

Now leave me alone, hyuk is over ;)

**To: QT Hyung~**

ew

 

“Ugh.” He stated, mildly disgusted at the implication of his two friends having sex while he was away. He grimaced and put his device away, ready to ask Taekwoon what his favorite was, only to find the other already staring at him. Though his face had its usual indifferent look, Taekwoon’s eyes were shining with amusement. 

Realizing he had probably looked ugly pulling the face he had Wonshik awkwardly laughed, a bit embarrassed. 

“Sorry, it’s just my roommate being stupid.” He said, gesturing towards his phone. The amusement soon faded, an unreadable look passing through Taekwoon’s eyes before they diverted down to his lap. 

“Oh,” he muttered a bit bitterly. 

_Is it just me or did the room get colder just now?_ He thought, looking around in confusion. Taekwoon continued burning holes down into his lap. 

“Uh yeah,” he spoke hesitantly. “He and his boyfriend tend to uh, do unsanitary things all around the house, for a lack of better words.” He trailed off, unsure if divulging his friend’s sex life was a good icebreaker or conversation starter. He noted to make sure to buy Jaehwan more of his favorite candy. 

Taekwoon blushed at the crude implication of his words. He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly froze, as if he remembered something. He met Wonshik’s eyes with his own wide ones, a variety of emotions being projected in his gaze.

“… Jaehwan has a boyfriend?” He asked baffled after a pause, the menu all but forgotten in his hands. Surprised he had managed to remember Jaehwan’s name, Wonshik nodded slowly. 

“Yeah, Han Sanghyuk. He’s three years younger, but they’ve both been dating for… almost two years now, I think. They met back when we were both still in college,” He explained bewildered as to why the eldest was so interested in his roommate. 

Taekwoon continued staring at him for a while before lifting his menu back to read over again, not saying anything else. Wonshik blinked before shrugging and doing the same as well. Seconds later, a feeling that could only be described as pure relief and happiness coursed through his chest before it was cut off. He frowned, placing a hand over his heart. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, he rubbed at his chest as he gazed down at it, trying to think as to where that emotion had come from and why it had felt so painfully familiar. 

“Are you okay?” Taekwoon’s voice brought him out of his stumper, the concern in his tone warming Wonshik’s heart. 

“I- yeah. I just felt something strange for a second but I’m good.” He smiled. The quiet man stared at him as if trying to read if he was lying or telling the truth. He must have found whatever he was looking for seconds later he nodded satisfied. 

Not wanting to let the mood die and turn awkward again, Wonshik spoke. “So what made you choose this restaurant? Is it your favorite?”

Taekwoon shook his head, lightly blushing. “Ah, no. A friend recommended it to me, said it was a lot of people went on… dates.” He murmured embarrassed. Taekwoon looked back down at his menu and hid behind his black again. 

Wonshik’s heart was too busy trying to jump out of his chest for him to take note of just how adorable the other looked. Gulping, he licked his lips nervously and hesitantly asked him the question that has been circling his head ever since Taekwoon had asked him to meet him here. 

“… _Is_ this a date?”

_Oh fuck, did I really just ask that? I’m fucked, I’m fucked, I am SO fucked! Let’s get out of here before you say something more stupid and embarrass the fuck out of yourself-_

“…I want it to be.” 

Wonshik’s mind froze into a complete stop. Hell, even his heart and breathing must have stopped for he felt dizzy and saw white spots filling his vision as he full out stared at the other male, who had somehow managed to slide more than halfway down his seat. 

The universe must have been cringing at how hopeless the two were, for in that same second the waiter returned with their bottle of water and cups. 

“Here you go. Are you both ready to order?” He asked friendly, shooting Wonshik a questioning look once he took in Taekwoon basically hiding underneath the table. Taking a deep breath, Wonshik quickly recovered and shot the waiter a smile and nodded.

“Yes, I’ll have a some Gun Mandu to start as an appetizer and a Kimchi Chigae hot pot please.”

The waiter quickly took note of his order and slowly turned to Taekwoon, who had managed to sit up but was still refusing to look any further than the table. 

“Bulgogi hot pot, please.” He quietly ordered. 

“Your orders will be with you momentarily. I’ll be around if you need anything else.” And with that the waiter left, the menus in his hand. 

They were both enveloped in an embarrassed silence afterward, Taekwoon still not looking up to meet Wonshik’s gaze. He was shifting uncomfortably, feeling dejected as more seconds ticked by and his confession went unanswered. Just as he was about to excuse himself to the restroom and probably cry from embarrassment, Wonshik cleared his throat. 

“… I want it to be one too.” He shyly admitted, keeping his gaze on his hands as he nervously played with his nails. 

From the corner of his vision he saw Taekwoon finally look up and he hesitantly did the same. Their eyes met and like a cheesy scene from those dramas Jaehwan loved watching, the both of them felt a surge of relief and happiness warm this chest. For the first time, Taekwoon flashed him his bright grin, and Wonshik whole-heartedly grinned back so hard that his cheeks hurt. 

After that, it wasn’t hard for the both of them to finally open up and hold a conversation that was no longer occupied by awkward silences. Witnessing Taekwoon grin more openly and laugh at his jokes took Wonshik’s breath away. Everything the other did was adorable, from the way he munched on his food like a hamster, even to the way he frowned when complaining about how annoying his friends were. Basically, Wonshik felt like he was in love, or pretty fucking close to it. 

Learning that Taekwoon was a musical actor came as a bit of a shock, especially when taking into account how shy and quiet he tended to be. 

“I’m not famous or anything!” Taekwoon bashfully retorted once Wonshik had finished choking on his water. “The theatre is not very well known and we usually tend to put on small productions.”

“I didn’t know that you sang,” He croaked out, throat still burning. “Or even acted.” 

“I majored in musical theatre,” Taekwoon admitted. Now that he mentioned it, Wonshik could easily imagine him singing and acting on a lite-up stage. It suited him. 

“I bet your voice is even more amazing when singing,” Wonshik commented, reaching over and stuffing his mouth with a dumpling. Taekwoon blushed. 

“You haven’t even heard me…” he shyly uttered. 

Wonshik hummed. “True, but besides the slight bias I have, you’re forgetting that I’m a producer for a living and basically know my stuff.” 

Taekwoon rolled his eyes but gave Wonshik a small smile. 

“Maybe I’ll let you hear me sing one day.” Taekwoon’s eyes sparkled.

Wonshik couldn’t help but smirk. “Maybe.” He agreed.

*

 

It wasn’t until after they had left the restaurant (where Wonshik had to fight tooth-and-nail with Taekwoon to let him pay for the meal. They ended up splitting) that the topic of the strings was finally brought up. They were both walking down Cheonggyecheon, shoulders bumping and fingertips brushing every once in a while as they continued on with their date. All around them young couples enjoyed the beautiful and peaceful scenery of the river, most holding a cup of warm coffee to keep warm as the Fall days grew chillier and cooler.

“I’ve been living in Seoul for all my life and yet I’ve never stepped foot in this place. Can you believe that?” Wonshik chuckled incredulously. Beside him, Taekwoon side turned to face him and looked at him, expression cold but eyes questioning.

“I like to come here and sit quietly,” the older said. “It’s also a great spot to pet dogs.”

Wonshik laughed, shaking his head in amusement. “Of course, you would.”

Taekwoon gazed at him softly as he laughed, quickly averting his view to his feet once he met Wonshik’s eyes. 

“I was planning on coming here today to think, but I’m glad you’re here with me.” The older shyly confessed, his soft tone very flustered. Wonshik’s blushed, turning away to look at the scenery. 

“What were you going to think about?” he bashfully asked. 

_I swear if he says something cheesy as ‘you’ I’m going to fucking die. Don’t let my life become a drama, please._

Taekwoon changed his gaze from his own feet and placed it on the two colored strings tied between them. 

“Ah,” Wonshik murmured, eyes having fallen down on the strings as well. “Our little yarn connection. Yeah, I would have thought about that too.” 

They both stopped walking and turned to face each other, eyes still on the blue-red chords. Wonshik had in all honestly not paid that much attention to the strings since his farewell with Taekwoon yesterday, too emotionally and mentally drained to freak out about what it was suppose to mean. His connecting piece looked just as blue as he remembered, especially right next to the other’s fiery string. 

“Did you actually do some research? I was literally too tired to remember.” Wonshik said, looking up. Taekwoon looked up and nodded. 

“The Chinese legend of the ‘red thread of fate’ kept showing up in the search engines. I couldn’t find anything about a blue thread though…” 

“ _Red thread of fate_?” Wonshik questioned, confused. 

Taekwoon blushed, biting his lip nervously. “ Um, according to Chinese legend the red thread of fate is tied around two people destined to meet. It’s commonly seen as a connection between two destined lovers.” 

Wonshik wasn’t the only one blushing by the end of Taekwoon’s explanation. 

“Oh.” 

Lovers, huh? One couldn’t help but think it was awfully convenient that Wonshik had met Taekwoon the day he would finally come out to his friends. Taekwoon, the guy who literally had him feeling like a foolish young kid in love for the first time. 

“Wait, so you couldn’t find anything about a blue string?” The other nodded. Wonshik looked at Taekwoon, who was frowning down at Wonshik’s own thread. 

“Why the frown, hyung?”

Taekwoon bit his lip before hiding his face with his hair. Wonshik frowned, lifting his hand to slighting poke at the other’s cheeks. 

“Taekwoon?” 

“… I just, I really like the idea that we were fated to meet,” He quietly confessed. 

Wonshik stopped breathing, heart in his throat as the other’s words repeated in his mind.  
Spurred on by his words, he gripped Taekwoon’s shoulders and softly held his face with his other hand. Taekwoon looked up at him in shock, staring at him with wide eyes. 

“Hey, we _did_ meet for a reason,” Wonshik confidently assured him. “Do you see anyone else speaking about colored strings connecting them with people? Cause I sure as hell don’t! And I know I barely met you yesterday but I swear hyung, _I swear_ , I feel like I’ve known you my whole life and I know deep down that you are meant to be with me forever, whether that be as a friend or a lover, but I know we were fated to be together!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I CAN ALREADY FEEL YOUR ANGER AT ENDING IT IN A CLIFFHANGER, I'M SORRY I HAD TO!!!
> 
> hONESTLY tho, Wonshik out here not wanting his life to be a drame but he out here confessing like a main lead. I literally could't stop squealing towards the end about how cute these two are, and im the one writing the story! Wontaek is too cute, I swear. 
> 
> For those who don't know, Cheonggyecheon is a man-made stream in Seoul, very close to Myeon-dong. I visited it when I went to korea and it was honestly so amazing, like wow. It was literally filled with couples just taking a stroll, so i love to image wontaek continuing their date there. I would link yall but i honestly don't know how to work this linking thing here lol. If you can tho, i highly recommend you google some pics of the place so you can get an idea of where they are. 
> 
>  
> 
> As always, i appreciate all your comments and kudos! I'M HONESTLY SURPRISED YALL LIKE MY WRITING LIKE??? THANK YOU SO MUCH !! 
> 
> \- Mars


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... I am so sorry that this chapter is way overdue!!! D;
> 
> Classes started back up towards the end of January and literally i have been so busy with newspaper and everything that i had no time (& inspiration honestly) to think of how i wanted this chapter to roll out. You guys have no idea how much i rewrote and changed scenes in here until i felt it was something the characters would do BC LETS BE HONEST: i sometimes forget its only been seconds in the story while for me its been weeks
> 
> but alas, it is finally here!
> 
> I deeply apologize once again for the wait and i hope yall enjoy the chapter!

Silence fell between the pair, the chatter of others around them and the city’s loudness a buzz of background noise. Taekwoon’s wide eyes never left Wonshik’s, the shock of his sudden grip lost to his even more shocking confession. 

A heat from within spread inside Taekwoon, an unidentifiable rush of emotions ranging from hope to lust leaving him breathless. It didn’t help that the younger man’s thumb would occasionally caress his cheekbone, all while continuing to stare him down. 

He tried to speak but no words came to mind, brain completely fried. Overwhelmed by embarrassment and attention, Taekwoon yanked himself from Wonshik’s grip and crumbled himself into a crouched heap, arms wrapping around his face in hopes of hiding his flustered state. 

Seconds of even more silence followed before Wonshik began freaking out. 

“Taekwoon? Are you okay? Oh my god, of course, you’re not okay, you’re on the fucking floor! Was it something I said? Fuck, it was! I shouldn’t have said that, I came off too strong and I even touched you without your permission, and I know that you don't like body contact and I just went and did it like the idiot I am, _fuck_ , I am so sorry-”

Taekwoon shook his head, trying to reassure Wonshik he was fine, before remembering that Wonshik couldn’t even see him. His face still felt too warm and his heart continued to rapidly beat with no sign of calming down.

How was it possible that Wonshik had the power to turn him into a complete red mess?

He sneaked a look at the other and the sight he found could only be described as endearing. 

Wonshik was angrily mumbling to himself, pacing back and forth while pulling at his hair every once in a while. He was so out of it, in fact, that he didn’t notice when the oldest slowly began uncovering his face until only his chin remained pressed against his knees. Eyes following Wonshik’s movements, guilt crept in. He had never meant to worry the other to the point where he was looking like he might cry from stress. 

And yet…

A tiny part of him was couldn’t help but be touched at how much the other fretted over him. Hearing, and seeing, how he wasn’t the only one cared about whatever _thing_ they had going on warmed his heart. 

Finally feeling as if he had recovered enough from his tomato state to speak properly, Taekwoon licked his lips before calling out Wonshik’s name. Instantly, the other snapped his head towards Taekwoon’s direction and stopped all of his movements.

Seeing as he had hidden from Wonshik’s gaze in the first place, Taekwoon fought the intense desire to do so again.

“Wonshik-ah,” he lamely repeated, words completely failing him once again. “I… can you help me up?” he asked for a lack of not knowing what else to say. 

Wonshik parted his lips before quickly nodding and moving to help him. His legs had long since turned numb from both the absence of movement and the cold radiating from the cement floor. He didn’t even try to hide the blush that stubbornly refused to go away as Wonshik went behind him and gripped him from the waist, his hold warm and solid as he pulled Taekwoon up into a standing position. 

God, this was so embarrassing. He just wanted to hide under his bed covers and scream his throat hoarse from the way the date had abruptly turned awkward. He shouldn’t have opened his big mouth and admitted how much this thing between them meant to him. 

“Taekwoon?” Wonshik’s deep voice whispered next to his ear. Realizing that the other still had a hold on his waist, Taekwoon spun around quickly and stepped back to put some distance between them again. 

He didn’t know how much his heart could handle. It has not calmed down in the slightest since the beginning of their date. 

The couple looked at each other for a second before they began speaking at the same time. 

“I’m _so_ sorry-”

“I didn’t mean to-”

They stopped once they realized they were speaking over each other. Wonshik laughed awkwardly and did that endearing thing was he scratched the back of his head. It was impossible to hide the smile that appeared on Taekwoon’s face. Wonshik gestured for his hyung to speak first. 

“Um, I didn’t mean to do… _that_ after what you said,” Taekwoon spoke, motioning with hands as he referred to his previous position. “I was just, uh, really flustered by you... in a good way, of course! Not in a bad way…” he trailed off before quickly looking down. He bit his lip hard to stop himself from saying any more. 

God, Hongbin was right; Taekwoon was going to die of embarrassment one day. 

He heard Wonshik chuckle, prompting him to glance up. The other was gazing at him with this look in his eyes that made Taekwoon’s breath stutter. Surely he didn’t…

“And here I thought we were over our weird silences,” Wonshik said, both of them sharing a small smile. He then frowned. “I really am sorry though, I feel like that was too much and not gonna lie; I can’t believe those things even came out of my mouth.” A pretty red dusted the cheeks of his tanned skin. 

“Oh.”

So Wonshik was embarrassed he even confessed? Did that mean he didn’t mean what he said? Taekwoon turned his face, feeling disheartened. Maybe it was too much to ask and have the guy he was majorly crushing on return those feelings. 

Instantly, a feeling of distress took over him. 

“I don’t regret what I said, you know!” Wonshik abruptly spoke, voice anxious as if it was important for Taekwoon to believe him. 

Taekwoon snapped his gaze back on the younger, mouth open in confusion. How did he know what Taekwoon had been thinking? That was impossible… right? 

“How did you... why did you say that just now?” 

“Because I could just tell you were doubting my feel- my words.” Wonshik stuttered but otherwise responded calmly. 

Taekwoon noticed the slip up, heart fluttering rapidly. 

_This is your chance. Come on Taekwoon, it’s now or never._

“I...” he began before freezing. 

Fuck, he couldn’t do it. Why couldn’t he have the confidence of his friends, of Wonshik, to speak freely and not worry about everything?

“Taekwoon, are you ok-“

“I have feelings for you!” he blurted out.

 _What the fuck!_ He screamed internally at himself, not believing he had actually just done that. He stared at Wonshik in shock, lips wide with horror. Wonshik himself wasn’t faring any better, face locked in genuine surprise. 

Wonshik finally broke the silence. “You have feelings for me?” He asked, eyebrows high on his forehead.

Taekwoon was at a loss for words.

“I- is that really so hard to believe?” He sputtered. 

“Yes,” Wonshik admitted, a lovely blush painting his cheeks. “You’re, like, way out of my league.”

“So are you!” Taekwoon exclaimed, gaze never leaving the ground. Unconsciously, he began to fidget with the paws of his sweater. 

“We really are a pair of idiots.” Wonshik laughed exasperatedly, shaking his head. 

“Do you,” Taekwoon began again before falling quiet. 

“Do I…?”

“… Do _you_ have feelings for me?” Taekwoon meekly asked, turning beat red. 

_You have some fucking nerve_ , he thought to himself. Here he was, worrying about embarrassing himself any further and yet he kept opening his big fat mouth, not knowing when to shut up. He knew that there was something growing between the both of them, but it was important for Taekwoon to hear the words come straight out of Wonshik’s mouth. He didn’t want to make a fool out of himself and fall deeper for Wonshik if the other only saw him as a friend. He didn’t think his heart could take it. 

Unaware to Taekwoon, Wonshik’s face had softened as he stared at the man in front of him. He took a couple of steps until there was only a foot or so between them, and then reached out a hand, making sure it was in front of Taekwoon’s line of vision. 

Surprised, Taekwoon looked up and was met with a look full of adoration. 

“I would honestly be so stupid to _not_ like you,” Wonshik admitted, his flaming cheeks the only indication showing how flustered and nervous he was. 

Taekwoon’s gaze skittered between Wonshik and his hand a couple of times before a huge smile broke out upon his own face. He shyly accepted the hand and blushed as Wonshik proceeded to intertwine their fingers together. 

The younger threw him a silent look, asking if this was really okay with him, and Taekwoon only clenched their hands once in response. They both shared a bashful smile and moved to continue on with their date, now that everything had finally been cleared up. 

It was a while later, after the both of them had left the romantic river and made their way to the Myeong-dong shopping district to snack on some delicious street food, that Wonshik brought up the topic of the strings again.

“I meant what I said, you know.” 

Taekwoon, who was in the middle of chewing after having taken a spoonful of tteokboki, threw his date a confused look. 

“Hm?” He hummed in question, cheeks puffed out from the food. 

_He looks like an adorable hamster_ , Wonshik thought, bringing a finger up to poke at Taekwoon’s cheek. His hyung only continued chewing and looking at Wonshik as he waited for him to speak again. 

“What I said about us being fated to be together and all that other mushy stuff. I really did mean it.” Wonshik spoke over the crowd and music as he stared fondly at Taekwoon. 

Taekwoon hummed, nodding his head as he held eye contact with Wonshik. He finished chewing and swallowed before finally speaking. 

“I meant it when I said that I like the idea of us being made for each other,” Taekwoon’s softly said a tiny smile on his lips. 

Wonshik only grinned in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it is slightly shorter that normal but i wanted to end it on a good note bECAUSE OUR BABIES HAVE FINALLY ADMITTED THEIR FEELINGS AND BEGUN DATING! it only took six chapters, ha ha *sweats nervously*
> 
> next up, taekwoon meets jaehwan! that should be interesting lol (pray for jaehwan)
> 
> Also: another reason this chapter took so long to get out is because i started writing another fic (oops!)
> 
> i know, i know: i should be focusing on this one for now but honestly it helped distract me when i was close to pulling my hair out from pure frustration with this chap (it was that bad) 
> 
> its a hakyeon/taekwoon one and honestly, its so cute! i cant wait for yall to read it... i still don't know if it should be a one-shot or a story like this one but eh, we'll see. 
> 
> until next time! 
> 
> -mars


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... 
> 
> it took me almost three months but i'm back baby! 
> 
> I genuinely apologize for taking so long. On top of dealing with my stupid depression, school has been a straight up bitch and i didn't have time to breathe. Literally i would be working on this story whenever i could find time and i wasn't completely exhausted. Tonight i actually stayed up finishing this because i know y'all have waited long enough. 
> 
> So without further ado, 
> 
> HERE IS THE NEW UPDATE!!!!

Weeks passed, and with them came new beginnings.

The unofficial couple was constantly glued to their phone screens as they texted and talked for hours on end, eager to somewhat be in the presence of each other.

Wonshik began working in the broadcasting studio and would excitedly recount the day’s events to Taekwoon; describing the new producers he was meeting, the new song he was working on, and the stupid things Jaehwan would do at home. 

The youngest would eagerly ramble nine out of ten times in all calls, and Taekwoon didn’t have the heart to interrupt him and damper his mood. Besides, no one needed to know that Wonshik’s voice was slowly growing to be one of Taekwoon’s favorite sounds in the world.

In those rare occasions were the youngest would stop talking to catch his breath, Taekwoon would fill the silence and speak of his day and his adventures with the ChaBin couple. Hearing how this Hongbin guy managed to keep Hakyeon in-check made Wonshik not as afraid of Taekwoon’s friend. 

Today, the couple had made plans to hang out at Wonshik’s apartment and watch a couple of movies. Unfortunately for Wonshik though, he had failed to take Jaehwan into consideration. 

“Hyung!” 

Said man himself was casually lounging across their couch, wearing a baggy set of clothes with half-finished potato chip bags scattered all around him. 

Apparently Sanghyuk had canceled their plans last minute due to remembering he had an English essay due tomorrow. It was worth half his grade, and the young boy couldn’t afford to get anything less than a B plus, so an all-nighter it was for him. 

Although sad that he wouldn’t be seeing his boyfriend, Jaehwan had seen this as an opportunity to watch this new drama he had been meaning to binge for ages now. He also saw it as a chance to relax and be comfortable in his home.

“Hm?” Jaehwan hummed nonchalantly, bringing a finger up to wipe away at the crumbs on his chin. He then proceeded to lick his finger, purposely making it slow and sensual, all while maintaining eye contact with Wonshik. 

His mischievous glint made Wonshik want to scream in frustration, knowing that Jaehwan was playing with him and trying to distract him from the conversation, but he also didn’t want to give his hyung the satisfaction of backing down. 

Flexing his fingers to somewhat gain control of his emotions, Wonshik settled on merely raising an eyebrow, face unimpressed.

They stared down each other for a few tense seconds before Jaehwan pouted and dropped his finger down to his lap, realizing that the other wouldn’t play along. 

“Ugh, why do I have to stay in my room?” he groaned, petulantly kicking the blanket on top of his legs. 

Wonshik sighed, crossing his arms and staring up at the ceiling. When he spoke again, his tone sounded similar to that of someone talking to a young child who had difficulty understanding a difficult concept. 

“I have a date with Taekwoon hyung,” he drawled out slowly until he saw Jaehwan nod. “So, I don’t want you here.”

Jaehwan gasped. “Rude.” Wonshik shrugged as if saying _hey, it’s the truth_.

Lips still puckered in a pout, Jaehwan narrowed his eyes and seized up the other. He seemed to be contemplating on whether he should actually be a good hyung and listen to Wonshik or continue being annoying.

Noticing this, Wonshik sighed and placed his hands on his hips, head facing downwards. It was time to bring the big guns out. 

“You know,” he began. “I wish I didn’t have to do this, but you leave me no other choice…” Wonshik trailed off.

Jaehwan, who had managed to sit upright, froze and stared at Wonshik, eyes narrowing down even further until he was practically squinting. 

“What.” 

Instead of responding, Wonshik took a couple of deep breaths to prepare for what was to come. Although already internally cringing, a small part of him couldn’t help but feel smug, for he knew that his hyung would never see this coming. 

_Well, here goes nothing._

“Hyung!” He whined cutely, as he approached Jaehwan and made to sit beside him. Jaehwan could only look on horrified as the younger sat and leaned against his shoulder, pouting and staring at him with puppy eyes. 

“Please, hyung?” Wonshik repeated cutely, “Can’t you do this small favor for favorite dongsaeng? You’ll forever be my favorite hyung for life.”

Agyeo, his hyung’s biggest weakness. 

Jaehwan was quick to get over his horror and began trying to pry Wonshik’s face and tight hold off of him. 

“I’m the only one allowed to be cute!” Jaehwan yelled. “Aish, let me go you, heathen!”

Wonshik narrowed his eyes and tightened his hold on Jaehwan, not planning on going any time soon until his hyung agreed to stay in his room. He quickly racked his brain for anything he could use to his advantage, all while fighting to maintain his grip against Jaehwan’s pushes.

It was then that it suddenly dawned on him. 

A curse in disguise as a blessing. 

That cursed memory.

That night, when he came to the apartment and they didn’t hear him come in… a memory he tried to scrub away the moment he registered what he was hearing…

Desperate to use anything at this point, Wonshik ignored how this was probably going to come back to bite him in the ass, and blurted it out.

“Oppa!”

The effect was instant. Jaehwan stopped fighting the hold and Wonshik felt his body freeze. Seconds of silence ticked by. Wonshik slowly turned to look at his hyung, who had done the same. 

They both stared at each other, expressions wide-eyed. 

Jaehwan sputtered before pushing Wonshik away, who in his shock had loosened his grip on the other’s arm. 

“Y-yah! Are you – how do you even know that!” Jaehwan shrilled as he stood up and hurried to put some distance between them. 

Wonshik could only stare back in shock, mouth hanging open. 

With his mind moving at the speed of a racing car, Wonshik wanted to speak and defend himself, but no words were coming out. As seconds ticked by, he was coming to realize that the shock came more from having said that cursed word aloud rather than having confirmed Jaehwan’s oppa kink.

Whether out of nerves or disbelief from the situation he had dug himself in, Wonshik began laughing. It started out slowly, at first breathlessly chuckling until it grew into a full-on stomach hurting, gasping kind of laugh. He sounded like he had finally lost it, and going by Jaehwan’s gaping expression he seemed to be thinking the same thing. 

“Don’t fucking laugh!” His hyung snapped at him. 

Wonshik shook his head and tried to speak but was pulled into another fit of laughter. He fell sideways into the couch and ignored the prickling feeling of the soulless potato chips poking at his body. 

Unaware to the younger one, the tense ridge of Jaehwan’s shoulders slowly relaxed as he realized he wasn’t being harshly mocked. Instead, it seemed his roommate just found the situation ridiculously funny, which honestly, who wouldn’t? 

Jaehwan, that’s fucking whom. 

“You’re an idiot!” Jaehwan complained. He crossed the short distance between him and the couch and lightly smacked Wonshik’s shoulder. 

“Fuck, I haven’t laughed that hard in ages.” Wonshik finally managed to gasp out, his laughter having calmed down into breathy chuckles. 

“Oh yes, kink-shaming poor little Jaehwan. Fucking hilarious,” Jaehwan mockingly spat, tone sarcastic. 

Wonshik sat up and whipped at the few tears that had escaped in his fit. “Who said I’m kink shaming you? So you have an oppa kink, big deal. I’m pretty sure that’s like the weakest kink in comparison to others.”

He scooted over and patted at the couch, signaling for his hyung to sit down next to him. Jaehwan silently did so, an adorable pout on his lips. 

“Hmph. Well, I’m glad you got a big ol’ laugh at this because we are never speaking of this to anyone.”

Wonshik turned to face his hyung and smirked. “Not even to oppa himself?” He teasingly asked. Jaehwan blushed and hit Wonshik’s shoulder again, causing the other to laugh. 

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry,” he raised his hands compliantly. “My lips are sealed, I swear.” 

Jaehwan stared at him to see if he was serious in his promise. He must have read the sincerity in the youngest eyes for he nodded and leaned against Wonshik’s shoulder. 

“If I find out you have a daddy kink, you’re dead meat,” the older grumbled underneath his breath. 

Wonshik just smiled and rested his head on top of his hyungs’s, the two of the appreciating the presence of each other. Around 10 minutes passed, those having been spent half-heartedly watching the drama in front of them before Jaehwan spoke again. 

“Ugh, fine. You win,” he petulantly whined. Wonshik lifted his head and gazed down at the other confused. Jaehwan rolled his eyes and turned to him. “I’ll stay in my room while you have your disgustingly sweet date,” he clarified. 

Wonshik’s eyebrow shot up surprised before he grinned smugly. _Huh, who knew my aegyeo was that powerful. Wonshik 1, Jaehwan 167._

As if sensing what the other was thinking, Jaehwan scoffed and pushed the other before standing up and making his way to his room. “I’m doing this because I’m a nice hyung! Not because you completely humiliated me or anything of that sort!” he yelled out as reached his room and slammed the door close. 

“Whatever makes you sleep better hyung!”

*  
Wonshik anxiously wiped his palms on his jeans for the 10th time in a span of what had to be five minutes, as he waited for Taekwoon to arrive. 

He had somehow managed to clean up the mess Jaehwan had left in their living room and the entirety of his whole apartment in less than two hours. That had been the least of his worries though, as he had also run down to the convenience store to buy the needed snacks and then run back to his apartment to shower and get ready. 

It seemed he had underestimated how much time he would need to convince Jaehwan and get everything ready. It had been stressful, but he managed to do it. 

Now though, Wonshik had a new problem. He was nervous. 

Actually, scratch that. He wasn’t nervous; he was on the verge of freaking the fuck out. 

_You’ve literally talked to Taekwoon every single day and you’ve already passed the first date, so why are you freaking out? Why are we freaking out?_

“Because anxiety is a bitch,” he muttered to himself. 

Despite the knowledge that Taekwoon was actually interested in him and was also excited for their second date – because that’s what they were kind of doing now, dating – Wonshik couldn’t help but worry and think about everything that could possibly go wrong. 

What if Taekwoon doesn’t want to see him? What if he has lost interest in the last few days since they saw one another? Is he only doing this because of their strings? Oh god, does that mean that he feels forced to hang around Wonshik because of it? Is he going to hate him the more he spends in his presence? 

All if these questions felt valid to him, despite knowing that it was just his anxiety and his nerves speaking. He just couldn’t stop it. 

Before he could work himself up any further, a sense of calm washed over him and soothed him. He took a deep breath at the feeling and exhaled the stress and worry. Not even a few seconds later, a bell sounded throughout the apartment, followed by a hesitant knock on the front door.

_Taekwoon._

Taking another deep breath and shakily exhaling it, Wonshik walked towards the door. Stilling himself, he waited another second before scraping the courage to unlock the door and open it. 

He was greeted with the sight of Taekwoon standing in the hall, the man nervously fiddling with the hem of his striped black and white t-shirt. Taekwoon looked up the second he heard the door open, and the smile that appeared on his face as soon as he met eyes with Wonshik had to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

“Taekwoon hyung,” he said with a stupid grin on his face. 

“Wonshik-ah,” the other responded with the same tone, eyes glinting with amusement. Wonshik grinned back and opened the door further, welcoming him in. 

“Did you have any trouble finding my place? I know you said you knew the area but I’m just wondering,” Wonshik said as the other stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and turned to find Taekwoon admiring his place as he slipped his shoes off and put on the guest slippers. 

“Nice place,” Taekwoon commented as they drew further into the room until they were standing near the kitchen bar. “And no it was fine. You actually live kind of close to my own place so…” Taekwoon trailed off with a shrug. 

Wonshik still found it amazing at how much the older had opened up to him. Taekwoon had gone from this cute, shy man who barely uttered a few words and hid under his hair to someone who laughed breathlessly and grinned brightly at Wonshik’s stupid jokes. He had also been surprised to find that the older could be quiet playful and carried a certain attitude when feeling sassy. Nothing close to Jaehwan’s own level of sass, that in itself was a nightmare, but it was enough for Wonshik to be surprised. 

Wonshik just laughed and shook his head, amused. “Okay, well I’m glad to hear that. And thanks; I tried to clean up quickly so sorry in advance if you find potato crumbs in the couch. Jaehwan was being an ass,” he muttered on his breath before sending the other a smile. 

Taekwoon raised an eyebrow, sensing a story but wisely chose to ignore it for now. He didn’t really hold any negative feelings toward Wonshik’s roommate anymore, but he was still a bit sensitive about him, despite knowing that the Jaehwan had his own boyfriend and was just Wonshik’s hyung and best friend. Maybe it was the fact that whenever the younger talked about Jaehwan, he would always coo at how cute the older was. 

_Wonshik hasn’t called me cute_ , Taekwoon thought. He pouted. 

… Okay, so maybe he still held some bad feelings towards Jaehwan. It didn’t matter though, as long as he did not come across Jaehwan so soon, he should be okay. Taekwoon wasn’t sure what he would do in such a situation and he honestly did not find out. Just thinking about it made him frown intensely. 

“Uh, hyung? You okay?” 

Taekwoon looked to see Wonshik glancing at him with a concern. “Hm? Oh yeah, sorry. Just got lost in some thoughts,” Taekwoon reassured him. Wonshik eyed him warily, eyebrows raised. 

“Must have been some bad thoughts. I could tell how quickly your mood soured. You sure you’re okay? ” 

Taekwoon’s expression softened. “Yes, I’m okay.” 

Wonshik observed him for a few moments before nodding, satisfied. He then proceeded to clap once, the sudden action startling Taekwoon. Wonshik mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ before continuing on with what he was going to say. 

“Hey, so what movie do you wanna watch? Anything in particular?” Wonshik questioned.

“Um, not really. I’m okay with everything— ”

“Because I have a lot of DVD’S on that drawer over there, ranging from Disney movies to anime. I even have some classic horror in there but you probably won’t like those so actually you know what, never mind, forget what I just said,” Wonshik rambled nervously. 

“Wonshik —"

“—We can also check out what’s new or interesting on Netflix or something. Fuck it, we can even use my friend’s Hulu account, he lets me borrow it because it has the complete season of Naruto Shippuden and that’s not available on Netflix¬—,”

Taekwoon’s sudden burst of laughter interrupted Wonshik, causing him to pause midway in his ramble with his mouth half-open. The older then proceed to lightly punch Wonshik’s shoulder, grin wide and eyes smiling.

“You’re nervous about this date, aren’t you?” 

Wonshik sighed, ears burning hot with embarrassment. “Is it that obvious?” he puffed out. Taekwoon bit the inside of his cheek, his grin still wide on his face. That was enough of an answer for Wonshik. He groaned.

“Fuck, I’m sorry hyung. I just really want this to work out and I’m scared of fucking it up.” 

Taekwoon smiled, shaking his head. “There’s literally nothing you can do that would make me not want to date you,” he admitted, a pretty pink dusting his cheeks. 

“Yeah Wonshik, there’s nothing you could do to fuck this up. Unless, of course, you manage to spill ramen all over this poor man over here or, I don’t know, sneeze right into his face,” a teasing voice said from behind Taekwoon. 

The couple froze for a second before turning to acknowledge the speaker. 

_Ah, fuck._

It was Jaehwan. Of course, it was fucking Jaehwan. 

Wonshik rubbed his face with both hands and groaned in frustration. He then looked up again and sent a glare towards Jaehwan. 

“What happened to you not leaving your room until I said so?” Wonshik asked, annoyed. 

Jaehwan, who was currently leaning against the side of the couch, frowned and crossed his arms. “Gee, sorry _mom_ , I wasn’t aware I was a prisoner in my own damn house,” he snapped in return. 

Unaware to the bickering roommates Taekwoon remained frozen, his gaze completely focused on the other male. 

_So, this is the infamous Jaehwan, huh?_ He silently puzzled as he observed the surprisingly young looking man a couple of feet in front of him. Jaehwan, having noticed Taekwoon’s gaze on him, smirked and introduced himself; cutting of whatever complaints Wonshik had been in the middle of saying. 

“Hi, nice to meet you! You must be Taekwoon, right? I’m Lee Jaehwan, Wonshik’s roommate and unofficial soul mate,” Jaehwan brightly greeted. His smirked had slowly evolved into a genuine smile as he took in the appearance of the pale man in front of him. 

_Damn, he cute._ Jaehwan unabashedly thought, checking him out. _For his first dude, Wonshik really outdid himself._

Taekwoon, on the other hand, had become still at hearing the word ‘soul mate’ pass from Jaehwan’s lips. Wonshik, who had been standing off to the side observing the interaction between his hyungs, was quick to notice the tense mood having overtaken Taekwoon. Although confused as to why Taekwoon acting weird, Wonshik was quick to unfold his crossed arms and pushed himself between the other two. He didn’t want to risk a possible confrontation. 

_Wow, now there’s a thought; Taekwoon versus Jaehwan. That would be interesting…_

“Okay. Well, thank you for saying hi despite not following our agreement,” and here Wonshik specifically glared. Jaehwan pouted. “But we have a date to continue so if you would excuse us,”

Jaehwan looked at Wonshik confused. “Uh, I still need to get my charger though? I was watching Netflix and my laptop ran out of battery, so I came out here to get it since I was using it earlier here.” 

Before Wonshik could tell Jaehwan where he could stick that charger if he didn’t leave in the next 10 seconds, Taekwoon finally spoke. 

He stepped in front of Wonshik until he was less than three feet away from Jaehwan. “My name is Jung Taekwoon and I’m Wonshik’s soul mate. A pleasure to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IS THAT ENDING NOT LIKE A CLIFFHANGER FOR A DRAMA?! That's really all that went through my mind as I wrote that. Literally, like the the OST of "Heirs" started playing in my head. 
> 
> I was actually going to end the chapter right before the "it was jaehwan" part, but i really wanted to include that bicker scene between Ravi and Ken lol. My precious babies. 
> 
> I think this is the longest chpater i've written so far, with like 3,000+ words :o  
> I do this all for yall bc i love yall
> 
> in regards to that neo story that i mentioned last time; i'm still writing it!!! i hit like a major block with it hopefully this weekend i will get it done and publish it in the next few weeks or so. please keep a look out for that! 
> 
> I'm honestly so excited to read your comments for this chapter, i love them and they make my day so plz be kind and give kudos
> 
> until next time!
> 
> -mars


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!  
> Wow, it's weird how much stuff can change in a span of two months. Like I somehow managed to pass my classes (it's a miracle), I came out to my mom (20gayteen id far from over y'all) and I started going to therapy to get my depression and other shit treated. Overall, a very busy month, both physically and emotionally. 
> 
> AND LIKE SHINEE'S COMEBACK DROPPED AND I WAS SHOOK AND UNPREPARED AS TO HOW THAT WOULD AFFECT ME EMOTIONALLY 
> 
> so yeah, it was very hard to write this chapter but I got it out (sighs in relief) 
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy this update and let me know your thoughts and feelings in the comments! Love you all, hope you have a good day/night, wherever you are! xx

Jaehwan froze, meeting Taekwoon’s eyes with a calculating look. He tilted his head and gazed at the other, sharp eyes quick to notice the hard glint being directed at him. Was that jealousy he was seeing?

 _How interesting,_ he mused. Jaehwan flicked his gaze quick to Wonshik, who looked as if he had stopped breathing entirely, an expression of pure shock frozen on his face.

Jaehwan hummed before returning his attention back to Taekwoon. He sent him an amused smile.

“I already knew who you were but thank you for the clarification, hyung. You don’t mind if I call you that, yes?” Jaehwan paused briefly before continuing. He didn’t care if Taekwoon minded. “If we are going to be seeing each other frequently we might as well speak comfortably¬ with one another ”

“I only let formalities drop with people I am close with,” Taekwoon cut him off, tone sharp.

Jaehwan raised an eyebrow, a rapt glint in his eyes. “Well, Taekwoon-ssi, nothing to bring us closer than you dating my dear Wonshikie.”

“ _Your_ Wonshikie?”

The tension in the room noticeably rose. Alarms were starting to go off in Wonshik’s head, recognizing the signs of what could be a soon-to-be dangerous situation.

“Hey guys, why don’t we calm down for a bit ”

“It’s such a cute nickname, right? I came up with it in response to him calling me Jeahwanie hyung,” Jaehwan goaded with a small smirk.

Taekwoon visually tightened his jaw, a muscle in his cheek jumping with what Wonshik could only guess with anger. The usually calm-mannered man clenched his fists tightly before relaxing them and meeting Jaehwan’s smug smile with a seemingly unimpressed look. The glare of his eyes said another story though.

“Wonshik and I have a date we would like to get to one day, so if you could go back to your room now I will really appreciate it,” Taekwoon said, not rising to Jaehwan’s bait. He then addressed Wonshik. “I’m going to the bathroom, why don’t you get everything started and I’ll be right back.”

Wonshik’s mind was still in the process of admiring how attractive Taekwoon looked when angry but he snapped out of it and filed the thoughts for later. Now was really not the time.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Okay. It’s the first door to the right,” he called out as his hyung walked out of the living room area. As soon as he heard the door close shut Wonshik turned and shoved Jaehwan.

“What the fuck was _that_ , hyung?” Wonshik asked incredulously.

Jaehwan ignored him, his gaze trained on the small hallway where Taekwoon had disappeared through. After a few seconds of unresponsive silence, he finally turned back to face Wonshik with an amused smile.

“How in the hell are you smiling? Is acting like a dick to my boyfriend funny to you?”

Jaehwan raised an eyebrow at him before rolling his eyes and letting out a small laugh. The action only made Wonshik feel even more frustrated. He wanted to pull out his hair.

“Jaehwan, this isn’t funny! This is exactly why I didn’t want you here, I knew you were going to be weird and fuck up my date! Taekwoon’s probably never going to want to see me ever again,” he said dejectedly.

Jaehwan finally decided to take pity on him.

“Oh Wonshik,” Jaehwan said, patting his shoulder lightly. “If it makes you feel better, I’m pretty sure that Taekwoon is more preoccupied at the moment with refraining from strangling me rather than trying to bail out on your date.”

“Wow, thanks,” Wonshik dryly said.

Jaehwan sighed exasperatedly. “What I’m trying to say is that boy of yours clearly cares a lot about you to just ditch you. That pissing contest we just had about you clearly proves that.”

“Is that what that was?” Wonshik muttered before freezing as he took in the meaning of Jaehwan’s words.

“Wait,” he slowly said, lifting his gaze to observe Jaehwan. “Are you saying that you purposely antagonized Taekwoon as a fucked up way of seeing if he had ‘good intentions’ towards me?”

Jaehwan’s smile twitched before lifting his arms up in a weird shrug. Wonshik stared at him in disbelief before letting out a breathy laugh. He shook his head a few times, his brain unable to believe what was happening. Leave it to Jaehwan to truly go beyond the measurements of their friendship and do weird shit like this.

Wonshik sighed before turning back to Jaehwan.

“You’re a dick,” Wonshik said with a fond tone.

“A dick who cares about you,” Jaehwan sang with a grin, knowing that Wonshik would forgive him soon enough.

Wonshik looked at him again before finally relaxing the tense posture his body had been under since Taekwoon and Jaehwan had been going at it. He huffed exasperatedly, his lips quirking up into a small smile.

“Yeah, it seems so.”

Jaehwan grinned before his expression shifted into a smirk.

“So, on a scale of one to ten, how pissed would your boyfriend be if I told him we took a shower together in that bathroom a couple of days?”

*

As soon as the bathroom door shut behind him, Taekwoon flicked the lights and turned on the faucet. Reassured that the water would drown out all other noise, he finally let out the long-frustrated sound he had been holding in for the last couple of minutes.

“ _Fuck,_ ” Taekwoon angrily breathed, his hands gripping the sides of the sink tightly. He took deep breaths, trying to calm down both his heart and mind. He looked up and caught his reflection, watching his mirror image struggle to control his breathing.

Where usually he had lovely pale skin, the man staring back at him was flushed red with anger. The partial white shirt he was wearing certainly wasn’t helping matters at all, the color contrasting brightly with his current skin.

Who would have thought he could be reduced to this state in a span of a few minutes, especially by someone like that brat. Taekwoon hadn’t met anyone in while that was capable of infuriating him that quick like Hakyeon. He wasn’t sure if he should feel surprised or annoyed.

A few minutes passed like that, with Taekwoon trying to regain his composure. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since leaving Wonshik out there to deal with the whole fall out. He must be so confused right now and…

Taekwoon stilled.

“Oh my god, Wonshik!” Taekwoon gasped, finally remembering the reason he was here in the first place. He groaned and leaned onto the sink, a new wave of embarrassment and guilt flooding him.

 _Oh god, I just left Wonshik out there alone_ , Taekwoon thought ashamed. He took in a deep breath before blinking and looking back up at himself.

“Good job Taekwoon, definitely boyfriend material here,” he berated himself sarcastically.

Thankfully, his phone vibrating in his pocket interrupted him, further preventing him from sinking lower into the well of self- deprecation. Taekwoon winced as he unclenched his hands from where they had been latched on, rubbing them to try and get the feeling back on them. He made sure to finally turn off the faucet before reaching for his phone.

 **From: Wookie  
** Hey, the movie and snacks are ready :) I’ll wait for you

Taekwoon couldn’t keep from smiling as he read the text.

 ** **To: Wookie  
** ** Ok, be right there

 His fingers paused over the keyboard, unsure if he should add anything else or give Wonshik an explanation. Taekwoon bit his lip nervously before coming to a decision.

 **To: Wookie**  
sorry

Wonshik was quick to respond.

 **From: Wookie**  
It’s okay, you have nothing to apologize for

Taekwoon blushed before smiling fondly. He quickly put his phone away and looked himself once over, checking to make sure he looked okay. Satisfied, he nodded and unlocked the door, stepping out into the hallway. He then proceeded to make his way into the living room, where he could already see Wonshik sitting in the couch with a disgustingly sweet variety of sweets scattered everywhere.

 _Jaehwan’s Wonshikie, huh? Wookie sounds better anyway,_ Taekwoon thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM AWARE THAT NOBODY REALLY CALLS RAVI "WOOKIE" but its my story so *shrug *  
> Besides, "Woonie & Wookie" sounds so freaking cute, Hakyeon is going to have fun calling them lmao


End file.
